Hustling to fill trout-stocking gaps following Helene Page 32
On the Cover:
Early voting for North Carolina’s primary elections begins next week. Ahead of polling places opening their doors, The Smoky Mountain News continues its coverage of races important to residents in its four-county coverage area with stories on county commission, state house and sheriff races, exploring key issues that have shaped races in each area. shutterstock.com photo
News
Pless positions himself as steady hand amid slow recovery..................................4
Graham County Sheriff suspended from office..........................................................5
Democrats and Republicans face off in crowded race for Swain sheriff............6
High taxes, social turmoil frame Jackson chair race ..............................................11
Republican Primary tests identity and power in 119th District..........................15
Anonymous cash payment raises new questions about Ramey taxes..............18 Community briefs..............................................................................................................20
Opinion
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Pless positions himself as steady hand amid slow recovery
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
Under a mountainside that had slipped again and again, residents of Thistle Ridge faced a grim reality — unstable ground, blocked roads and no clear path forward.
For more than four years, bureaucratic delays and shifting priorities left a vital infrastructure fix stalled while families worried their homes could be lost and emergency access cut off. Then, Rep. Mark Pless took up their cause.
After repeated visits to state transportation offices and persistent work to secure funding, construction finally moved forward and crews stabilized the slope above Big Branch Road, a small but tangible sign that steadfast advocacy can still move stalled projects.
“Mark is the one that got us some hope,” resident Connie Scanlon said.
That story has played out repeatedly across Western North Carolina, where recovery has been measured in years rather than months. Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 carved away roads, bridges and creek banks, overwhelming local budgets and leaving counties dependent on slow-moving reimbursement systems.
Just as some projects finally began to break ground, Hurricane Helene brought fresh destruction, compounding delays and forcing communities back into emergency mode. Housing shortages remain acute, construction costs have surged and local governments continue to juggle basic services against mounting infrastructure needs.
In Haywood and Madison counties, the financial strain has been relentless.
term and seeking a fourth, Pless serves on budget and appropriations committees that oversee transportation and infrastructure funding.
He is also the chair of the emergency management and disaster recovery committee, and the vice chair of the House’s select committee on Helene recovery — important roles in one of the state’s hardest-hit House districts.
His campaign centers one claim above all others, namely that his seniority and committee assignments have translated into money flowing back to a region repeatedly hit by forces beyond local control.
He distinguishes between money formally appropriated and funds made accessible through eligibility changes or agency action, arguing that both matter when communities are trying to rebuild.
funding that helped stabilize municipal finances and maintain school and community college operations.
Behind those numbers, he says, is constant pressure applied in unglamorous ways — meetings with financial experts, repeated agency calls and negotiations that sometimes stretch across multiple legislative sessions.
“Everybody thinks it just falls off of a tree,” Pless said of the nine-figure appropriations he’s secured for his district. “It doesn’t. You work, you go to offices, you talk to the budget writers, you find out how far you can go.”
Critics counter that Pless’ aggressive style has also generated friction, particularly with municipal leaders.
Over the past several years, Pless has clashed with towns over extra-territorial jurisdiction, backing legislation that limited the ability of municipalities to regulate development beyond their borders without consent. Local officials argued the changes undercut long-term planning. Pless responded that residents living just outside town limits were being governed without meaningful representation.
“When people come to me, my job is to address their grievances,” Pless said. “So if they come to me and they tell me, like with the ETJ, ‘I’m having to answer to somebody, and I have no voice in their vote,’ that’s a problem.”
Federal aid arrives incrementally and often requires detailed documentation that smaller governments struggle to assemble quickly. Aging water and sewer systems demand upgrades that would be difficult to finance even without disasters.
In that environment, access to state decision-makers — and the persistence to keep calling after the first rejection — has become as important as policy positions.
Pless has built his political identity around that role.
A Haywood County native, Pless entered public service long before holding elected office, spending nearly 30 years as a volunteer firefighter with Center Pigeon and more than two decades working in emergency medical services. He earned his paramedic certification in 1993 and later worked as an insurance agent, experience he says shaped his understanding of what disaster survivors face once emergency crews leave and claims are denied.
That background informed his decision to run for the Haywood County Board of Commissioners in 2018, where he served two years before winning election to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2020. Now in his third
of my counties,” he said, noting that Yancey County was part of the 118th District before the maps were redrawn by the General Assembly.
Pless had only been in office for eight months when Fred carved a swath of destruction through the eastern reaches of Haywood County, making it all the more remarkable he was able to procure funding.
“When you get [to the General Assembly], you have limited freedom,” he said. “You don’t have access to the people that you need to talk to because you are a freshman.”
Those figures include funding tied to flood mitigation, road stabilization, emergency operations facilities and wastewater infrastructure, as well as economic relief following the closure of Canton’s paper mill — a blow that stripped the town of jobs and tax base almost overnight.
Pless’ advocacy for Canton, along with that of Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), is directly tied to the town’s recovery from three major disasters in four years; he points to state
He has also supported changes that would allow for partisan municipal elections, a move that drew criticism from town leaders who said it would import statelevel polarization into local government. Pless has framed that position as a transparency issue rather than a partisan one.
In December 2024, Pless drew headlines after telling Haywood County Commissioner Terry Ramey to “step down” after Ramey helped spread misinformation about post-Helene short-term housing in a YouTube video that earned Ramey’s fellow commissioners death threats. That moment — a surprise appearance at a Haywood County commission meeting — reinforced his reputation for bluntness and willingness to confront local officials publicly when necessary.
Pless does not shy away from those conflicts. He argues that friction is inevitable when state and local interests collide and that his responsibility is to the residents who contact his office seeking help.
“They don’t understand the entire situation, and they’re not living that situation,” he said of critics.
Looking ahead, Pless says his focus remains squarely on unfinished recovery and infrastructure work. He points to middle school facilities in Canton and Waynesville that are approaching a century in age and the difficulty school systems face securing state grants without land upon which to build. He has also highlighted efforts to reduce water and sewer debt for ratepayers by identify-
Defined by disaster, the tenure of Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) includes the Coronavirus pandemic, Tropical Storm Fred, the closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton and Hurricane Helene. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Graham County Sheriff suspended from office
BY LILLY KNOEPP NC LOCAL
Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit has been suspended from office following allegations of abuse of power and misconduct related to an insurance investigation into a county commissioner.
Under North Carolina law, an elected sheriff can be suspended and then removed only through a judicial process. The first step in the process is for a district attorney or county attorney or at least five voting residents in the county to file a petition to the court.
Ashley Hornsby Welch, the district attorney for the seven westernmost counties, including Graham, filed a petition on Jan. 29 alleging charges of intimidation, abuse of power, corruption and extortion.
the Defendant was very involved in the investigation.”
The petition cited allegations that the sheriff “engaged in an affair with Adrian Nelms while she was married to Jacob Nelms.”
The Nelms divorced in February 2025, and according to the documents, Hoxit and Adrian Nelms were in a romantic relationship and married in Transylvania County in August of the same year. According to an affidavit, Jacob Nelms said he believes his ex-wife and the sheriff have now separated.
In an affidavit, Jacob Nelms said a “tracking device” was placed on his car from Jan. 1, 2025, to May 31, 2025, through an “unlawfully obtained warrant.”
If a sheriff is suspended, state law provides that the coroner of a county step in on the sheriff’s duties until the county commissioners can select a replacement.
WHAT HAPPENED IN GRAHAM?
The Graham Star reported that the Graham County Board of Commissioners held an emergency meeting Friday and Chief Deputy Travis Brooks assumed the duties of sheriff.
The board also voted unanimously to suspend Hoxit’s pay, which totals $73,798 annually, according to The Graham Star.
The petition alleged that Hoxit “was having romantic relationship with Graham County Commissioner Jacob Nelms’s wife or estranged wife, Adrian Nelms.”
The details in the petition related to a criminal investigation of commissioner Nelms.
According to the document, Hoxit said he “stayed out of” the matter, but the petition alleged he interrupted “on several occasions to point out specific facts surrounding the investigation, making it apparent that
ing unclaimed or underused state funds.
Those efforts, he argues, depend on experience and relationships built over time — relationships that allow him to walk into leadership offices and make the case for projects that are easy to overlook in a statewide budget.
“This is work,” Pless said. “And I didn’t slow down, even when I got told no.”
For voters in the 118th District, the question is whether that approach remains the
Nelms said the move was captured on video and that he believed the vehicle that approached his car belonged to Graham County Chief Deputy Brooks.
“I believe that Brad Hoxit is trying to destroy me personally and professionally in Graham County and I believe that he will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal,” Nelms swore in the affidavit.
According to the petition, Hoxit did not disclose the relationship, even to his attorney, because he was “was trying to get past the Primary to avoid the controversy.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Hoxit will remain suspended until a court hearing at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20, where a judge will determine if he should be removed.
Hoxit, an unaffiliated candidate, was elected in 2022. The sheriff’s office is on the ballot for 2026. There are six Republican candidates for sheriff and one Democrat. Hoxit would not be listed on a Primary ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Nelms, a Republican, is running for reelection alongside nine other candidates for county commissioner.
best path forward in a region still digging out from disaster after disaster — and whether persistence in Raleigh continues to outweigh the conflicts it sometimes creates at home.
Pless’ Republican Primary Election opponent failed to schedule an interview with
The Smoky Mountain News despite multiple requests. The winner of the Primary will go on to face Haywood County Democrat Danny Davis, a former judge, in November.
Hoxit has been suspended from his office as Graham County Sheriff. NC Local Photo
Democrats and Republicans face off in crowded race for Swain sheriff
BY LILY LEVIN STAFF WRITER
The most powerful person in any North Carolina county is the sheriff, an elected position mandated by the state constitution.
County elections determine who will don the badge and serve the four-year term in office. Such a system ostensibly ensures sheriffs are accountable to voters, but a 2024 Ballotpedia analysis of all United States’ elections excluding the presidency found that 78% of law enforcement races had only one candidate.
There’s a clear advantage for incumbents; using a data set that included 5,500 sheriffs, analyst Michael Zoorob determined that sitting sheriffs “are about 45 percentage points more likely to run and win the next election.”
That leg up means that in states like North Carolina without term limits, a sheriff might remain in power for decades. The office can become a fertile ground for abuse of power, sometimes without consequences. In Columbus County, a recording surfaced in late 2022 of then-Sheriff Jody Greene’s racist remarks about Black employees, leading to his resignation. But Greene didn’t withdraw from the next month’s election and took home 54% of the vote, winning a short-lived, scandalous term that ended with his second — and final — resignation.
Republican and Democratic parties. With four lifelong Swain County residents in the running — Doug “Tank” Anthony and David Southerland as Democrats, Kirkland and Wayne Dover as Republicans.
BRIAN KIRKLAND
Kirkland’s work in law enforcement began when he completed training in 2000 and was hired as a Swain County deputy. In 2004, he joined the Cherokee Indian Police Department as a traffic officer, and he was promoted to sergeant detective three years later. In 2011, he returned to SCSO as a captain, a role he served in until 2025 when he was named chief deputy by Cochran just months before his former boss’
the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Indian Police Department.
“I’ve worked for Cherokee. I’ve got really good friends that work for Cherokee. So right out the gate, I met not only the chief of the tribe, but I met with the chief of police, where we had really good conversations about repairing our relationship, and we signed a mutual aid agreement,” he said, adding that it’s important to collaborate given that “a lot of things don’t look at boundary lines.”
the public to access, empirically, they “improve accountability and lower reports of misconduct,” according to Britannica. The cameras have been in use for about two weeks, Kirkland said.
Body cameras aren’t the only change Kirkland has brought to the department. He’s put a greater emphasis on training, recommending Crisis Intervention Team programs — which “provide law enforcement officers the knowledge and skills they need to de-escalate persons in crisis” and “emphasizes providing treatment instead of incarceration for persons with mental illness” — to his deputies.
“We’ve already sent several of our officers [to CIT]. One thing that I felt like we were lacking before was the opportunity to send our officers to training. And that’s something I’ve really tried to initiate, trying to get our deputies just as trained in everything
is to take deputies away from “the four lanes trying to do stuff that the highway patrol should be doing” and into “communities where people that hadn’t been seeing a high presence of law enforcement are getting to see now.”
That strategy might be especially useful to deputies investigating drug trafficking and possession. Swain County has suffered acutely from the epidemic of substance abuse and addiction. Its 2025 NC Public School Forum profile reported a “drug and medicine overdose rate” nearly 300% above the state average per 100,000 residents.
Kirkland said while all recreational drugs are illegal and “we’re going to enforce the law,” the office is “going after drugs that strongly affect people,” like methamphetamine and fentanyl, because they’re killing folks and increasing property crimes.
On the rehabilitation side, he’s already instituted an in-jail, grant-funded initiative headed by Sunrise Recovery to teach classes with the aim of facilitating addiction recovery to reduce recidivism. It recently graduated its first class.
However, talk and support programs are as far as he is willing to go, at least for now, when it comes to providing relief for those both incarcerated and struggling with addicIndeed, Kirkland will not be implementing medication assisted treatment, also known as medication for opioid use disorders, in the near future, because he doesn’t find
Greene is joined by countless sheriffs nationwide who have resigned from office, sometimes in light of criminal charges involving the likes of drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, sexual assault or murder.
These examples involve a relatively small proportion of elected sheriffs, but one such case remains pivotal in this Swain County election. Former Sheriff Curtis Cochran resigned and was indicted mid-2025 on charges including second-degree rape, sexual battery, assault on a female and felonious restraint; the incidents allegedly occurred on the Qualla Boundary. Commissioners swiftly voted 4-1 to appoint then-Chief Deputy Brian Kirkland as interim sheriff. Kirkland seeks to retain his spot.
This cycle comes with hunger for transparency from Swain County, including Qualla Boundary residents. That sentiment is reflected on the crowded 2026 ballot that features contested primaries in both the
Kirkland also onboarded a deputy from Macon County, hoping an external perspective would help eliminate opportunities to shield accountability.
“So just being honest — whether we make mistakes or not — being open about it. None of us are perfect; I get it. We’ve got to be able to be transparent with the public,” said Kirkland.
According to Kirkland, one of his strengths —a skillset vital to the role — is his administrative knowledge, driven by years of experience.
“I’ve worked on budgets, I’ve worked on personnel-type stuff and I’ve built a really good relationship with multiple people over the years. If we run in [sic] situations, I think I’d have a general good idea on who to call when we need help, depending on what resources we need,” he said.
He recently secured Axon body cameras for deputies, who were previously patrolling unrecorded. While body cameras aren’t a perfect tool and footage remains difficult for
“I don’t think MAT is a possibility for us. I think we’d have to have more full-time medical staff on scene to be able to monitor that … But we have spoken with our medical staff here, and they’re not comfortable with implementing that program,” he said. 2022 Department of Justice guidance clarified that opioid use disorder is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that denying someone in custody pre-prescribed MAT is a violation of the act. While some jails do not have sufficient on-site resources to perform medication assisted treatment, if it’s already prescribed to someone in custody, administrators are legally mandated to find an off-site
That’s because MAT has been the standard of care for opioid use disorder since the 1970s, and it’s backed by decades of empirical research demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing overdose deaths, preventing those in recovery from reoffending and curbing the spread of communicable
When asked if he’d support MAT if circumstances permitted, he described it as “something that I would want to do a little
Opioid use isn’t the only widespread problem in Swain County; so too is the rate of homelessness. The NC Coalition to End Homelessness takes a Point-inTime Count, “an annual snapshot F
Brian Kirkland. File photo
of who is experiencing homelessness during one night in January,” for every state county plus the Qualla Boundary. In 2024, it counted 13 unhoused folks in Swain County. By 2025, that had doubled to 26.
Kirkland has a similar anecdotal experience.
“Five years ago, you would never see a homeless person in Swain County,” he said.
Behind such an influx, Kirkland explained, is “county organizations that are offering things” to unhoused folks while also acknowledging that there’s nowhere to sleep, leading to encampments.
While a 100% increase in year-to-year homelessness seems drastic, it reflects 13 additional people who have become unhoused. Swain’s low population density and similarly low unhoused population inflates the percentage. Yes, homelessness is rising, but it likely will not continue to double, instead following the more gradual — yet still significant — upward-facing nationwide trend caused primarily by a structural lack of housing affordability and other economic factors such as job loss, according to decades of research and studies conducted by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and other federal partners.
As for when deputies encounter encampments, Kirkland’s policy has been to get them “cleaned up.” In one instance, he said, “I’m sure there were probably needles and things like that laying around. It’s just very unsafe for people that want to enjoy county property.” After the encampment was destroyed, the people “moved on,” he recalled, explaining that “we gave them plenty of an opportunity to get what stuff they wanted.”
While encampments can introduce safety hazards to county property and residents and officials are often pressured to “clean them up,” researchers documenting sweeps have found that crucial medications and medical supplies are regularly discarded. 2024 BMC Public Health paper surveying 397 homeless individuals found that they were at a greater risk of reporting an infectious disease and poorer mental health after being ordered to vacate an encampment, which ultimately poses an even larger hazard to public health.
Other than cleaning up encampments, SCSO will “try to get a hold of family members for [homeless folks]” to be picked up and brought “back to a place where they do have housing,” he said.
According to Kirkland, there’s not one central cause of homelessness.
“There’s some people I think just want to live that way,” he said. “And I think there’s some people that run into unique situations that force them to be that way.”
The USICH lists the homelessness-as-a-choice narrative as one of the most common cultural myths.
WAYNE DOVER
Republican challenger Wayne Dover began his law enforcement career in 1994 and now works for the Bryson City Police Department.
“I have served as school resource officer, patrol officer, patrol sergeant investigator, major crimes investigator, special victims unit investigator and now assistant chief of police,” he said, adding that after more than 2,000 hours of specialized training, he’s also certified to teach basic law enforcement academy trainees.
Dover’s candidacy is marked by what he describes as a commitment to “bring change and a fresh perspective to the sheriff’s department.”
“The sheriff’s office has had the same leadership for a number of years,” he said. “And that can lead to stagnation.”
Dover proposed splitting the county into three patrol zones — east, west and central — to reduce response times.
“And our vehicles will no longer be all blacked out. They would all have highly visible marquees,” he said.
That’s a transparency measure — blacked-out vehicles during patrol operations may cause civilians to question the legitimacy of the interaction, heightening risk for both them and the officer. Plus, it might make the public more susceptible to law enforcement imposters. And the move would also be in direct response to the breach in trust between SCSO and the public, especially the Eastern Band; Cochran allegedly solicited his victims while driving
“Verbal Judo is a phenomenal training. “It’s a de-escalation technique, behavioral health training. So, [deputies] can recognize what might be taking place” and act accordingly.”
– Wayne Dover
unmarked SCSO vehicles.
Dover praised Kirkland’s effort “on starting the foundation of that rebuild in trust,” while outlining his plans as sheriff to build out “strong, lasting partnerships and relationships” with the EBCI.
He admitted the presence of a “unique beast” — deeded acreage within the Qualla Boundary, which is countyowned and surrounded by tribal land. To ensure sufficient law enforcement presence in those areas, Dover said he “hope[s] to sign MOUs with the Eastern Band, so they could secure the scene within their boundaries until one of my officers got there to take over.”
working with the community would be the office’s core principles, especially when encountering someone with a mental health or substance abuse disorder, both of which he said are primary causes of homelessness. Though a substantial proportion of unhoused folks do struggle with one or more of these issues, the majority have neither, USICH reported. The agency also noted explicitly that “mental health and substance abuse disorders do not cause homelessness.”
Were he sheriff, interactions between the homeless and deputies would primarily consist of referrals to services offering applicable resources.
“We would make sure that they had the opportunity to speak with a social worker and/or other community partners to get the help that they needed,” he said, adding that this treatment applies to folks both inside and outside the county jail.
And for incarcerated folks seeking help, Dover said he “absolutely” supports medication assisted treatment.
“Just because they’re in jail doesn’t mean they’re bad people. They just make bad choices, and it is our job to make sure that they are protected, physically, mentally and emotionally, and we have to be able to give them tools to do that so they can be productive members of society,” he said.
Dover would also look to better fund the Sunrise program using money from the states’s opioid settlement that is being doled back out to counties.
“[Sunrise staff] are currently in the jail, but as of right now, they are not being paid to do so,” he said. Kirkland clarified that the course is grant-supported.
Another program Dover would like to see was first introduced in neighboring Jackson County by the Sylva Police Department. In 2021, the department began working in partnership with Western Carolina University to respond to applicable emergency calls alongside a social worker. According to NC Health News, the social worker refers affected community members to resources and services “with the goal of addressing the root issues driving the police calls.” The partnership has enjoyed considerable success and by November 2025 had expanded to seven additional agencies.
Dover is also impressed by these results.
As for preventing another violation of trust, Dover recommended technological safeguards like body cameras, “GPS on all the vehicles, GPS locators on all of their cell phones, so we can track [deputies] at any time.”
The ideal culture within SCSO would also prioritize training for officers, Dover said, stressing that his team wouldn’t have to choose between attendance and patrol.
“If I also need somebody to cover that shift while they’re in training, then I would cover that shift,” he said.
Of all courses offered to law enforcement, Dover spoke most highly of one.
“Verbal Judo is a phenomenal training,” he said.
“It’s a de-escalation technique, behavioral health training. So, [deputies] can recognize what might be taking place” and act accordingly, he explained.
For Dover, de-escalation and
“I would partner with Western Carolina University social workers, community care. It’s been very positive feedback from them, from the Sylva Police Department,” he said.
Dover stands behind a similar “community policing” approach to drug enforcement, whereby officers build relationships with residents, who then feel more empowered to call in suspicious activity.
“[SCSO] will also be holding monthly reports to the community, introducing the officers in those communities at their community meetings. So, ‘This will be your community officer. This is his or her name, this is their contact information,’ and so forth,” he told SMN.
DOUG ‘TANK’ ANTHONY
Anthony has been in law enforcement since July 1996, serving throughout the years as a patrol officer and drug investigator, answering calls for service and working with interdiction teams and task forces.
He is running with an eye for change, though this cycle isn’t his first time seeking election. His name was on the 2022 ballot, when he lost to Cochran. It is, however, the first election in which the Democrat had to confront the breach of trust between SCSO and EBCI. Anthony didn’t have a measured plan for improving the sheriff’s office’s reputation among Cherokee residents but attested that it’s important to “work with every county around [the department].”
To encourage transparency and accountability, he said it’s all about picking people “who want to work for you for
Wayne Dover. File photo
the right reasons,” which looks like doing the job not for valor or headlines but out of a deep care for county residents. When asked how he’d ensure staff prioritized committed responsibility over performative action, Anthony said he’d “talk to them” and find out.
His plan to engage in intra-departmental conversation carries over to training as well. While Anthony is a major proponent of training, finding many courses useful and effective, he did not recommend a specific one, arguing that it matters more “how the officer takes that training procedure.” Did the deputy gain any knowledge from this hypothetical week-long course, or did they rather “look at [it] as a vacation?”
When asked how to remedy the latter motivation, Anthony said, “Talk to [the officers] when they get back. Let them explain to you what they just learned.” He finds this dialogue more useful than body cameras when it comes to engaging with his officers.
One argument against body cameras is that there’s no such thing as a neutral interpretation. Anthony spoke to this issue of perception when admitting that “the public’s going to see it differently than someone in law enforcement is going to perceive it … it ain’t always cut and dry how stuff happens.”
This is one reason he doesn’t see the point of wearing one.
“You’re trying to actually answer calls, so I would say no to that [question of wearing body cameras],” he said.
Again, while body cameras aren’t perfect, research throughout the years has overwhelmingly shown they do improve transparency and conduct.
While Kirkland is on calls, he isn’t wearing a camera either, Anthony alleged, although the sheriff denied this claim wholeheartedly.
Anthony’s desire to find truth through relational measures was echoed by his tendency to personalize structural issues affecting residents. For example, he emphasized the extent to which the community is affected by substance abuse by implicating the household.
“Every family here in Swain County is affected with the drug [and] alcohol problem, in some way, shape, form or fashion,” he said.
One way to reduce drug activity, he said, would take the form of “tough love.” When prosecuting a drug dealer, “you [should] show you still care [about him] and still punish him, just like a kid — like he’s your child,” Anthony explained.
Likewise, he has sympathy for those perpetually moving from release to recidivism.
“So many people are caught in that [incarceration] cycle when they’re young. They can’t get out of that cycle.” Because of that, Anthony said, “You want to help these people, so they won’t [break the law] again.”
That could look like installing a counselor or a GED program or prescribing a medication to aid recovery from addiction, especially given the status of many who get caught up in the system.
“There’s more people sitting in these county jails that’s not even been convicted or sentenced yet, they’re sitting and waiting on a bond. You can’t assume that nobody in jail is automatically guilty,” he said.
In 2025, out of the 562,000 people sitting in local jails, 457,000 were legally innocent. In other words, 81% of those in jail are solely incarcerated because they couldn’t afford to make bail or had been denied bail altogether.
Anthony again used a domestic setting to outline the crisis of homelessness, though by comparison, he viewed this issue with more distance and less nuance.
“I think that so many people make a choice, and their family tells them, ‘If you want to do that, you can’t stay here; you can’t live here.’ And they want to make that choice, keep doing what they’re doing and choose not to live at that house.”
But he said that’s no excuse not to help those who are seeking it — whether through referrals to treatment facilities or a call to a case worker.
“When they reach out to you, you got to be willing to help them right there. They may reach out to you at midnight. Your department’s got to be able to help them at midnight, not from 8 to 5,” Anthony said.
DAVID SOUTHARDS
Democrat David Southards retired in October 2025 with 28 years of experience under his belt. His first job was with the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked for 18 years in various capacities, including the jail, dispatch and patrol where he rose to the rank of lieutenant.
After leaving SCSO, Southards worked with Western
While he’d like to implement those plans in the future, Southards understands his duty to mend what has happened in the past. Were he sheriff, repair and restoration of trust between SCSO and the Qualla Boundary would be “something that we’re going to have to work at constantly,” he said. He sat down with tribal leaders Feb. 4 to discuss responsibilities of the sheriff’s office.
“[Qualla and non-Qualla Boundary residents are] neighbors; we’re in the same county … And just like you would do for your neighbor, we’ve got to watch out for our neighbor, their property,” he said.
Consequently, Southards strongly supports the mutual aid contract between SCSO and the CIPD.
As for promoting accountability, Southards, like Kirkland and Dover, pushed for body cameras. He started wearing a camera in 2017. In fact, acquiring that equipment was his
“I feel strongly about different things; community-focused policing, things like transparency, which — it has plagued this department locally — civilian oversight.”
– David Southards
organize a narcotics team, especially after witnessing one work effectively in Cherokee County with as few as three officers.
gram and payment of all necessary fees and costs. They can then qualify for expunction. Criminalization, in all instances of drug abuse, F
David Southards. File photo
WCU construction management students use SPOT to help local community
At the Southwestern Child Development Commission building, the future is meeting the past.
Western Carolina University construction management students brought SPOT, the College of Engineering and Technology’s robotic dog, to scan a 3-D model of the nearly century-old building in Sylva.
The scans will be used for any future renovations Southwestern CDC decides to complete.
A student team of Tanner Drum of Jacksonville, Jeremy Volpe of Mooresville, Mario Volpe of Mooresville and River Bass of Clinton had SPOT complete over 30 individual scans of the building over the course of three and a half hours.
The team then stitched them together, resulting in a 3-D model with detailed measurements of the building. Southwestern is also working with WCU assistant professor of interior design Shelly Gregg for their future renovations.
“From the student aspect, it was great for me because it allowed me to learn exactly how these technologies are being incorporated into the industry and how these different things adapt to real world scenarios,” Drum said.
both perpetuates racial disparity and fails to address the underlying addiction. A 2018 Pew Research Center study using data from 96,000 individuals found “no relationship between prison terms and drug misuse.”
Housing someone in jail is also costly, potentially diverting funds from treatment and rehabilitation programs. Plus, a criminal record can prevent someone with the motivation to recover from finding secure housing and employment, contributing to recidivism and homelessness.
For Southards, the other aspect of breaking the cycle looks like rejecting criminalization of the unhoused.
“People ask me, ‘What are you going to do about the homeless?’” he said. “And what I tell them is, ‘Hey, it’s not a crime to be homeless. And if they break the law, I will enforce the law just like I would on folks who are not unhoused.’ But the biggest issue that we face here with people that are homeless is the mental health.”
Southards would like to see a homeless shelter in Swain or a nearby county. He spoke highly of a two-week 2023 event in Andrews called Mission of Hope and coordinated by The Worship Tent,“ a selfdescribed “place where many come to find Salvation, Restoration, Healing, Joy and chains broken off as they are washed in the Blood of Jesus!” aimed to ‘save’ those struggling with addiction and homelessness through free nightly worships and dinner, plus talks from and invitations to various year-long, free and residential Christian rehab centers.
He plans to bring Mission of Hope to Swain County if elected.
AREA’S BEST BURGER
High taxes, social turmoil frame Jackson chair race
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
As Jackson County heads toward the March 3 primary election, voters are being asked to assess a governing record shaped by rising costs, cultural conflict, a steady expansion of county government and mounting public concern.
Over the last four budget cycles, Jackson County’s general fund has grown from $71.7 million in fiscal year 2021–22 to $106.9 million in the adopted 2025–26 budget — an increase of about 49%. The general fund rose to $88.1 million in 2023–24 and then $93.8 million in 2024–25, before crossing $100 million in the current fiscal year.
That growth has not been driven by major new programs but by compounding operational pressures that pushed spending higher year after year.
Personnel costs have played a central role.
Commissioners repeatedly approved incremental pay increases and cost-of-living adjustments, committing more than $1 million annually in recent budgets to employee compensation as the county sought to retain workers amid regional labor market pressures.
Expanded public safety staffing, inflation-adjusted operating costs and routine maintenance needs added further strain. Budget documents reflect those trends, even as the county delayed budget adoption last year amid internal disagreement and adopted higher spending plans with lower tax rates.
change still produced a significant tax increase because property values surged. Total taxable value in Jackson County jumped from roughly $11.45 billion before revaluation to nearly $18.4 billion afterward — an increase of about 60%.
Further expansion of county government also appears imminent. In a 4–1 vote, commissioners approved withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system over objections related to LGBTQ content after months of debate driven by misinformation and outside agitation.
employees removed compromise plaques from the Confederate monument known as “Sylva Sam” without a public vote, prompting legal concerns and public backlash and criticism from both press advocates and conservative watchdogs.
Governance questions have also extended to commissioner conduct. Repeated absences by Commissioner Jenny Hooper and Commissioner John Smith, along with Smith’s violation of state law by skipping mandatory ethics training, have fueled concerns about accountability.
Other issues — including school funding, relations with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, rural broadband access, affordable housing and environmental pressures along the Tuckasegee River — surfaced less prominently but remain unresolved as voters prepare to decide whether the county’s current trajectory aligns with their priorities.
Six candidates, including Chair Mark Letson, are all seeking to wield the gavel in Jackson County. File photo.
THE REPUBLICANS
Unlike some counties where the board elects its own chair from among seated members, Jackson County’s voters elect the commission chair.
Letson has drawn three Republican Primary Election opponents; however, David Rogers was the only challenger to respond to an interview request by The Smoky Mountain News.
Capital needs have remained a consistent concern. Approved budgets show recurring capital and capital-improvement expenses between roughly $4.1 million and $5.8 million annually, covering vehicles, equipment and deferred maintenance across county facilities, jails, recreation complexes and libraries.
Recent reporting in the Sylva Herald shows the $34 million price tag for several ongoing county projects has now ballooned to more than $65 million — a $30 million hole that commissioners must now attempt to fill. A series of state-mandated property revaluations are leaving them with few options.
During the 2021 revaluation, commissioners rejected the revenue-neutral rate of 34.47 cents per $100 of assessed value and instead adopted 36 cents, later increasing it to 38 cents. In the most recent revaluation, the revenue-neutral rate fell to 26.89 cents, but commissioners adopted a 31-cent rate. While the nominal rate dropped, the
Beginning July 1, Jackson County will operate its own library system for the first time. The decision came despite overwhelming public opposition voiced at multiple meetings, and culminated in anonymous threats against The Smoky Mountain News and the Sylva Herald for reporting
“I am the type of person that I have spent my life listening to problems, even if it’s a car. I spent my life listening and figuring out ways to help people. Past 25 years, I’ve done that, and I think I could carry that over to a county leader,” Rogers said. “I am a Republican, but that don’t mean I can’t help a Democrat.”
Born and raised in Haywood County, Rogers grew up playing about every sport he could, walking on to the football team at Appalachian State University before transferring to Western Carolina University.
Mark Letson. Jackson County photo
rather than revenue, arguing that government should focus on efficiency and accountability before asking taxpayers for more money.
Rogers tied that view directly to his experience overseeing large service departments, where he said performance expectations mattered more than staffing levels.
“I don’t agree with that [tax increase]. I don’t think we needed it. I think we have plenty of money to do what we need to do,” Rogers said.
Rogers supports Jackson County’s decision to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system. He said his position was formed after reviewing so-called objectionable materials himself rather than relying on secondhand accounts. At the same time, Rogers acknowledged that formal procedures exist for challenging library materials and said those processes should be followed.
When asked whether the projected increase in annual cost of operating the county’s libraries independently was worth it, Rogers declined to commit to a firm answer without professional guidance available only to seated commissioners.
On the removal of interpretive plaques from Sylva Sam, Rogers avoided taking a position on whether the plaques should be restored. Instead, he focused on how the decision was made, arguing that actions involving long-standing public symbols require public involvement.
“I feel like it needs to be very transparent,” Rogers said.
Attendance and participation are baseline expectations for commissioners, Rogers said, particularly because board members are appointed to committees and outside boards. He said he would approach committee service deliberately, rather than treating it as optional as Hooper and Smith have.
Rogers supports the Board of Elections’ decision to close the early voting site at Western Carolina University and believes any resulting savings should be reinvested to strengthen staffing and operations at remaining polling locations.
He also raised concerns about transparency surrounding the county’s middle school project, saying public frustration stemmed from how decisions were communicated rather than from the outcome itself. Rogers repeatedly emphasized that early explanation and open communication are essential to maintaining public trust.
fying and pursuing grant opportunities that may otherwise go unused. He described both issues as practical challenges affecting families and employers across the region. Despite his lack of experience on government, Rogers does have an ace in the hole — his brother Brandon is the popular longtime vice chair of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners and has substantial experience dealing with issues both small and large, including multiple trips to Washington, D.C., to advocate for disaster relief funding.
“[If] I run into issues, I’ve got a person that can sit there and give me some good moral advice,” he said.
From Letson’s perspective, the decision not to remain revenue neutral after the countywide reappraisal was driven by long-deferred capital needs and rising operational pressures that could no longer be postponed. He pointed to school construction and renovation projects, courtroom deficiencies and jail overcrowding as compounding problems that were already generating added costs, including the expense of housing inmates in other counties and the risk of court delays. Addressing those needs, he said, required a shift in direction even as commissioners look for opportunities to rein in spending else-
ance, retirement and the like,” he said.
Letson took a similar process-focused approach to the controversy surrounding the removal of interpretive plaques from Sylva Sam. He said he did not support removing the plaques and believes the compromise reached in 2021 struck a workable balance, particularly given the county’s reliance on tourism.
“I don’t feel that having a rebel flag is where we should be in 2026,” Letson said, warning that symbolism matters in a county where the economy depends heavily on visitors.
While acknowledging public frustration about commissioner attendance and accountability, he said scheduling conflicts and the structure of daytime meetings complicate participation but noted that informal discussions about censuring Hooper and Smith took place.
“We talked about that with John [Kubis], our county attorney,” Letson said. “We had kind of a private conversation with those individuals, and really it comes down to, ‘Is there consensus to do that?’ And there wasn’t.”
magnitude of the revaluation, rather than the mechanics of the tax rate itself, has left residents reeling.
“I don’t think anybody in the county is happy about it,” Almond said. “I realize real estate prices have gone up, but I think that was — what did I read — a 60% increase in property values in the last four years? That’s big jump. That’s the biggest jump I’ve ever seen happen here in Jackson County.”
Looking ahead to the 2027–28 budget cycle she would inherit if elected, Almond said she would want to return to a conservative approach but questioned whether recent decisions have made that feasible.
“I’d like to do something to make the budget revenue-neutral,” Almond said. “However, we have things going into our budget right now that I don’t think we’re going to be able to pay for this library thing. They lowballed us on what it would cost us for the library, and that’s going to come out of our general fund.”
On affordable housing and child care, Rogers said county government has a role in facilitating solutions, particularly by identi-
Born in Rome, attended Mississippi State University and later Louisiana State University, where he earned a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on sociology, communication and business, followed by a certificate in construction management. His professional career began in the Hilton Head area as a golf course superintendent before moving to Cashiers, where he worked for Trillium for 18 years. He later transitioned into resi-
Opposition to the county’s withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system has placed Letson at odds with the majority of the board. He has continued to argue that
Jackson County, both financially and in
He acknowledged that individual books established procedures but said those concerns do not justify dismantling a system that has provided library services and programming for eight decades. Letson also expressed concern about legal exposure and escalating costs, particularly as library employees are absorbed into county pay and benefits structures.
“Some of them will get more money than they’re currently making, not including additional benefits like health insur-
On the Board of Elections’ decision to close the early voting site at Western Carolina University, Letson said the projected savings are modest relative to the county’s budget and questioned whether the controversy was worth the tradeoff, particularly for students without reliable transportation.
Beyond those flashpoints, he highlighted ongoing work on child care expansion, domestic violence services, housing initiatives and economic development projects aimed at diversifying the county’s workforce and recreational opportunities. He described those efforts as necessary steps toward long-term stability.
His guiding principle, he said, has been weighing whether decisions benefit the county as a whole, or merely a single constituency.
THE DEMOCRATS
issues in Jackson County are not symbolic fights but center on transparency, fiscal responsibility and whether county government is meeting residents’ most basic needs, says Marcia Almond.
in Forest Hills for 37 years. A registered nurse, she spent nearly four decades working in operating rooms before entering local government. Almond served four years on the Forest Hills Town Council and two years as mayor until losing the seat, 5637, to former commissioner Ron Mau last November.
property tax increase, Almond said the
Almond strongly opposes the county’s withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system, framing the decision as both financially reckless and culturally driven.
“It’s just fiscally irresponsible,” she said. “What we have was working quite well and now it’s going to cost us more, and we won’t have as good a library if we leave Fontana system.”
She said the cultural motivations behind the vote were impossible to ignore.
“And that brings me to the second part, the sheer bigotry of it all,” Almond said. If elected after the county formally exits the regional system, Almond said she would support rejoining Fontana if possible, though she acknowledged that door may already be closing.
“We don’t know that they want us back,” she said.
On the removal of interpretive plaques from the Confederate monument known as Sylva Sam, Almond focused on process rather than symbolism, saying the lack of a public vote undermined trust and likely violated the law.
“This was obviously done through a text meeting or a private meeting — somehow not open to the public — and that’s against the law,” she said. “It just lends itself to the lack of transparency that we’ve been trying to point out, that things are done behind closed doors, and that’s not legal.” Almond said the combined effect of the library controversy and the monument decision risks damaging Jackson County’s tourism-driven econo-
“We’ve built a reputation of being an
around, especially in the world of social media. It gets around, and you know whether or not you’re welcome someplace.”
of preparation and competent public administration.
Hopp left federal service in 2024, citing home here in the mountains four years ago,
the board that refuse to take any constituents’ opinions into account.”
For Democrat Bobbi Hopp, the library fight has become the clearest test of whether Jackson County’s current leadership is actually living up to that standard.
Hopp is transgender but said they do not want their candidacy defined by identity. Instead, Hopp pointed to a professional background that spans finance, engineering, disaster response and nearly two decades of federal service as evidence they are prepared to govern a complex county.
Born in Detroit and raised primarily in Sarasota, Florida, Hopp attended the University of Colorado in Boulder before spending time in Montana and later returning to Florida. After working for 11 years as an independent stock trader, they went back to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of South Florida.
Hopp was then hired by the Navy as a civilian engineer, where they worked for 19 years on important large-scale defense projects involving nuclear submarines, weapons systems and software safety. Their responsibilities included overseeing contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing and managing billion-dollar programs with an emphasis on cost control and human safety.
“I worked on a lot of really high-consequence things,” Hopp said.
Earlier in their career, Hopp also worked in disaster response through the University of South Florida’s Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, contributing to hurricane response, mine collapses and structural failures. That experience, they said, reinforced the importance
handing oversight to
tioned whether coun-
fies misplaced priorities.
“I don’t feel like the county is using our tax money in the most efficient way right now,” said Hopp.
Their opposition to withdrawing from the Fontana Regional Library system is rooted both in personal history and fiscal concerns. Libraries, Hopp said, were central to their childhood education, and the regional system provided services and cost sharing that benefited Jackson County. More than the outcome, however, Hopp said the process revealed a refusal to listen.
“I feel like the public wasn’t heard,” Hopp said. “When a large group of people shows up and says they don’t like something, it’s incumbent upon you as a public servant to slow down and listen.”
That same emphasis on legality and process shapes Hopp’s view of the Sylva Sam controversy. While expressing discomfort with honoring the Confederacy, they said commissioners should never violate the law or abandon negotiated compromises.
“As a federal employee, I had to be very careful for 19 years about not making myself in violation of federal law,” Hopp said.
Hopp also tied recent controversies to tourism, environmental protection and quality of life, arguing that exclusionary politics threaten an economy dependent on visitors, students and outdoor recreation. Attendance failures and ethics lapses by sitting commissioners, they said, further erode public trust and warrant accountability, including censure when necessary.
At the core of Hopp’s candidacy is a simple contrast with the incumbent board’s approach.
“If you’re not willing to hear people who disagree with you,” Hopp said, “you’re not serving them.”
Republican Primary tests identity and power in 119th District
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
The Republican primary in House District 119 — Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties — now unfolds against a backdrop of unresolved disaster recovery and rising voter frustration with a legislature that has struggled to deliver a state budget but still found time to strip powers from incoming Democrats and gerrymander another Republican congressional seat at the behest of President Donald Trump.
Overlaying — underpinning, actually — parts of the district is the Qualla Boundary, which sits at the intersection of tribal sovereignty and rural infrastructure, while wielding tremendous economic influence.
Political identity has become just as central to the race as policy. Republican voters are being asked to choose between continuity and disruption, institutional loyalty and independence, and competing visions of the party’s future. Trump’s popularity looms over the Primary Election, shaping contrasts between candidates who embrace his role in the party and those who reject it outright in clear, concise terms.
Those competing pressures have transformed the race into a broader choice about representation in western counties and disagreements over how power is exercised in Raleigh, as voters weigh the direction of a party now defining itself in a period of instability.
MIKE CLAMPITT
Clampitt is seeking another term in the House after nearly a decade defined by public safety legislation, disaster response and the leverage that comes with seniority in a Republican-controlled legislature.
A native of Lower Alarka in Swain County, Clampitt first worked in law enforcement before spending nearly three decades in the fire service. He retired as a
of the few Republican members of the Council of State who won their race — the state’s auditor — and attempting to handcuff incoming Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson by prohibiting the AG’s office from entering into litigation the General Assembly doesn’t support.
cy.
Pointing to his record of securing state funding as evidence of his effectiveness, Clampitt cited tens of millions of dollars for school construction, water and sewer infrastructure, road repairs and public facilities across the district. He has repeatedly framed
A member of the House Freedom Caucus, Clampitt was among western lawmakers who initially opposed the bill before ultimately supporting it.
“It was very embarrassing to me that my colleagues would take advantage of a disaster such as Hurricane Helene and use it as a vehicle for some of the agendas that were being promoted, which I believe would have passed anyhow,” Clampitt said.
that work as the product of experience and relationships built over multiple terms.
“I hope people know that I’m one of the most successful legislators that they have in the state House,” Clampitt said.
Constituent access has been a key part of that pitch, with Clampitt emphasizing direct communication and casework as central to his role. Several years ago, Clampitt put his personal cell phone number in campaign
hol and its use. It saves marriages, it saves jobs and it saves lives,” he said.
On issues involving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Clampitt has emphasized protecting the tribe’s economic interests, particularly when proposals surfaced to expand casino gaming elsewhere in the state. He has said additional casinos would threaten revenue that supports jobs and public services throughout Western North Carolina.
“I would not be in support of any additional casinos, to protect the tribe’s interests,” Clampitt said.
Clampitt has also addressed questions about his health during the campaign. Diagnosed last year with myelodysplastic syndrome that later progressed to acute myeloid leukemia, he has said treatment has not prevented him from carrying out his duties.
“I’d only missed five sessions,” Clampitt said, referring to voting days during his illness. Indeed, Clampitt conducted his campaign interview from a hospital bed.
As he seeks reelection, Clampitt is asking Republican primary voters to weigh continuity, seniority and legislative influence against calls for change in a district where recovery, public safety and political identity remain unsettled.
“It is a real privilege to be able to represent my particular district and the folks I have,” he said. “It’s a humbling experience. I take great pride in doing what I do for all the people in my district, regardless of political affiliation.”
ANNA FERGUSON
Clampitt’s campaign rests on experience, institutional leverage and a public safety record forged over multiple terms, but the race does not turn solely on seniority. It also reflects a competing argument inside the Republican electorate — that the moment demands a different kind of representation, one less rooted in Raleigh’s power structures and more closely tied to the cultural and economic realities that shape the district. That argument is embodied by Anna Ferguson.
Ferguson was born and raised in the Qualla Community between Whittier and Cherokee, where much of her family history is rooted. Her grandparents moved from Haywood County to the Boundary, and as an enrolled member of the ECBI she spent most of her life in and around Cherokee before leaving briefly and returning in 2007. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Carolina State University, then came back to Western North Carolina to work in her family’s 55year-old electrical contracting business, where she later moved into a management
After years in that business, Ferguson and her sister opened a retail store in Cherokee using a family name — Bigwitch S EE DISTRICT 119, PAGE 16
Three Republicans, including incumbent Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) hope to represent the 119th House District in the North Carolina General Assembly. A Democrat is waiting for the winner in November. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Mike Clampitt. File photo
She
regulation and operating in a tourism-driven economy.
She was appointed to the ECBI’s planning board by Principal Chief Michel Hicks and characterizes their working relationship as good but said Hicks hasn’t endorsed anyone publicly in the race.
Issues involving the Eastern Band play a central role in Ferguson’s platform, particularly Cherokee’s gaming-dependent economy and attempts by the tribe’s wholly owned economic development arm, Kituwah LLC, to diversify it.
“Cherokee has been struggling as far as the tourism and the private-held business end of things. The casino was absolutely wonderful, a game changer,” Ferguson said. “You either were stable or you weren’t. There was no in between. Now, we have a middle class. We have an upper middle class. The casino was able to afford us that.”
Still, Ferguson would like to see more information coming out of Kituwah about projects that are in the works.
Cannabis policy is also important, especially in terms of tribal sovereignty. She has said legalization in the rest of North Carolina is inevitable and she would support it, just so long as the tribe’s early investment in cultivation and research was respected. Not long after voters in Cherokee legalized cannabis, Rep. Chuck Edwards attempted to
jeopardize the tribe’s sovereignty by threatening to withhold highway funding over the legalization.
“He can not like anything he doesn’t want to like,” Ferguson said of Edwards.
“That’s his right. But as far as withholding funding, no, that was overstepping.”
Ferguson is wary of such threats to the tribe’s biggest source of revenue.
“I like competition,” she said. “I think it only serves to make industry better. But as a representative of this area, I feel like I would need to — I don’t want to say protect, but ensure that there’s still jobs available, that there is still industry that that can support people and support lifestyles.”
majorities, calling it emblematic of a system that has drifted away from basic responsibilities.
Outside the Boundary, Ferguson sees a breakdown in legislative priorities, particularly as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helene. She has argued that regional recovery cannot be viewed county by county and that legislative responses should better reflect the interconnected nature of the region.
Ferguson has also criticized the way disaster legislation has been handled more broadly, particularly when SB 382 became a vehicle for unrelated policy changes. While she identifies as a conservative and said she voted for Donald Trump three times, she has emphasized a willingness to disagree openly with party leaders and colleagues when she believes the process or outcome is wrong.
“On federal and a state level, there need to be steps in place that prevent you from walking away without a budget,” she said, “I think that is basically stealing from taxpayers. You have taken taxpayers’ dollars, and now you’re holding them hostage because you can’t come to an agreement. That’s a very basic part of your job.”
Asked if she considers herself a “moderate” Republican, Ferguson didn’t answer directly, instead offering her own description.
“I am fiscally conservative,” she said. “Socially, I feel like government gets too involved in social issues. And there again, I like to look at things on a case-by-case basis.”
MIKE YOW
Clampitt has been an ardent opponent of cannabis, in any form, becoming legal. across the state — and, in Georgia and Tennessee — continues to haunt the tribe.
Signaling openness to Clampitt’s impaired-driving legislation that has stalled in the General Assembly, Ferguson stopped short of endorsing any bill sightunseen.
In terms of broader governance issues, Ferguson criticized the legislature’s failure to pass a budget despite holding Republican
As a first-time candidate presenting himself as a conservative outside the state’s legislative power structure and openly hostile to the national direction of MAGA contemporaries, Yow’s candidacy presents yet another argument from within the Republican electorate — independence from a historically unpopular president dogged by scandal but loved by a fiercely loyal base.
Raised in Stanly County, Yow moved to Jackson County in 2005 to attend Western Carolina University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social work and later completed a master’s degree in F
Anna Ferguson. File photo
public affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management. He subsequently returned to graduate study in social work. His professional background includes years in the mental health field, a period working in insurance and a return to communitybased behavioral health services in Western North Carolina. He also performs in two well-known local rock bands, Arnold Hill and Smashing Mouths.
Yow has never held elected office, arguing that distance from Raleigh’s internal dynamics allows a representative to prioritize constituent needs over caucus politics and internal deal-making.
“At the end of the day, my goal is to be the 119th’s representative in government, not the subject matter expert of political theater,” he said. “I will represent my people, but I need my people to help me be that voice so that all North Carolinians can have a chance at a better life together.”
Yow’s comments on Hurricane Helene focus less on legislative intent and more on the lingering effects he sees across western counties. He has emphasized housing instability, access to health care and the strain placed on nonprofit service providers that operate well beyond the lifespan of emergency appropriations.
He has also argued that disaster recovery policy should account for long-term social and economic impacts, not just infrastructure repair, particularly in rural counties where recovery resources are scarce and slow to arrive.
National politics represent Yow’s sharpest contrast with the rest of the field. He has been explicit in rejecting Trump and has described Trump’s influence on the Republican Party as destructive, citing divisive rhetoric and erratic behavior incompatible with the principles he associates with conservatism and working-class advocacy.
“Donald Trump is a fascist,” Yow said. Accordingly, Yow has never voted for Trump and attributes his opposition to Trump to what he describes as a pattern of exploiting populist language while advancing elite interests.
He has argued that the party’s alignment with Trump accelerated a shift away from policies that benefit middle- and workingclass communi-
“That is not a party for the working class,” Yow said. “That’s a party for the billionaires.”
Accordingly, Yow’s biggest battle may be con-
Republican Primary Election voters that he’s actually a Republican. Long unaffiliated, Yow has pulled six Democratic Primary ballots (in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024), one Republican Primary ballot (2022) and one Green Party
Clampitt rejected the idea of a political
“I don’t know the gentleman [Yow] personally, and I would not conjecture any kind of reasoning for his desire to run for office,” Clampitt said. “I think anyone that’s a qualified voter that would like to run for office should have that privilege.”
Cannabis policy marks a clear break between Yow and the district’s incumbent. Yow supports legalization and regulation, pointing to medical use, harm reduction and economic transition as reasons to reconsider the state’s approach.
“We don’t need to demonize marijuana,” Yow said.
He has linked that position to the decline of tobacco as a revenue source in rural North Carolina and to what he views as missed opportunities for farmers and local governments.
Balancing cannabis legalization with impaired-driving legislation has been tricky. Yow has declined to offer blanket support for Clampitt’s Sober Operator Act, centering on constitutional limits and due process rather than enforcement outcomes. He has said any proposal lowering blood alcohol thresholds or expanding roadside testing should be evaluated primarily through a civil liberties lens before advancing.
As the primary approaches, Yow is asking Republican voters to decide whether independence from party orthodoxy and rejection of Trump-era politics offer a better path forward for a district balancing recovery, economic challenges and political division.
“I believe in that true conservative value that we should not be regulated in everyday life. The people in these mountains deserve to have their basic needs met, and a lot of people are not getting that,” Yow said. “Unfortunately, that has become a political talking point in the GOP of just not taking care of basic needs, saying that it will fail this country if we do. Well, what’s the other option? Let them die?”
The winner of the Republican Primary Election will go on to face Democrat Mark Burrows, a retired economic developer from Transylvania County, in November. Clampitt defeated Burrows by nearly 11 points in 2024.
Mike Yow. File photo
Anonymous cash payment raises new questions about Ramey taxes
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT
POLITICS E DITOR
An anonymous payment recently applied to decades-old tax bills owed by a sitting Haywood County commissioner presents the appearance of impropriety and may violate campaign finance law and the Board of Commissioners’ ethics policy.
Substantial questions about the payment remain, but at least one thing is certain — the long drama surrounding Commissioner Terry Ramey’s unpaid taxes is not settled.
“The $2,000 payment is clearly a gift that benefits Ramey. For his own good as a public official, I’d suggest that he direct the tax office to send the anonymous payment to the county’s general fund and remove any application of the $2,000 toward his personal tax liability,” said Bob Hall, former executive director of Democracy North Carolina, a nonpartisan voting-rights organization.
“Otherwise, the public could wonder if the donor might someday privately approach Ramey and want a returned favor for the gift. That’s not a good situation to be in — for him or for the public.”
Years ago, Hall helped lead a broad coalition — including the conservative John Locke Foundation and nonpartisan Common Cause NC — that advocated for and won North Carolina’s first comprehensive ethics law covering state officials, as well as stronger laws to regulate lobbyists. In 2006, Hall received the 2006 William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award from the North Carolina Press Association for his efforts.
ment to clear his current delinquencies, the county cannot enforce collection actions on taxes older than 10 years — but the taxes are still tracked, still accrue interest, are still owed and can be satisfied with voluntary payments.
On Jan. 24, The Waynesville Mountaineer reported that an anonymous payment for Ramey’s past due taxes was placed in a drop box outside the historic Haywood County Courthouse on Jan. 23. Tax collector Sebastian Cothran said he checked the box around 8 a.m. that morning, but it was empty. When he returned around 9:30 a.m., he found the payment.
also glitchy or improperly configured; earlier in the morning, Cothran can be seen materializing out of nowhere at the drop box and walks away empty-handed after checking it. Cothran never appears in the video again, nor does any person ever appear at the drop box in the video.
The politically sensitive nature of a cash payment involving the debts of an elected official during a heated Republican Primary Election — debts Cothran was long familiar with — didn’t exactly give Cothran pause; he said a worker in his office applied the payment to Ramey’s delinquent tax bills.
If “Friends of Terry Ramey” is not a legitimate PAC or campaign entity, it may have violated different campaign finance laws by paying for the signs and failing to register with the Haywood Board of Elections.
Per NCGS 163-278.12 (a), “In the event an individual, person, or other entity making independent expenditures but not otherwise required to report them makes independent expenditures in excess of one hundred dollars ($100.00), that individual, person, or entity shall file a statement of such independent expenditure with the appropriate board of elections in the manner prescribed by the State Board of Elections.”
That puts the “Friends of Terry Ramey” in a precarious position. According to the same statute, “Contributions or independent expenditures required to be reported under this section shall be reported within 30 days after they exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00) or 10 days before an election the contributions or independent expenditures affect, whichever occurs earlier.”
The Smoky Mountain News has confirmed that multiple complaints about the anonymous tax payment have been forwarded to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
The typical process is that the NCSBE will conduct a preliminary review and, if necessary, a further investigation. Findings are presented to the full board, which in a public meeting makes a determination that could include civil penalties or a criminal referral. The State Bureau of Investigation typically only gets involved in the event of a criminal referral and would ultimately conduct a full investigation, forwarding the case to the district attorney for prosecution if warranted.
CASH
The drama began before Ramey was elected in November 2022. SMN found that Ramey, a retired wrecker operator, hadn’t paid his taxes in quite some time.
Ramey then lied about the money owed, drawing a rebuke from other commissioners. Although he entered into a payment agree-
As Ramey’s debts were subject to two different interest rates, the amount he owed changed every month. The anonymous payment, however, was correct down to the penny — $2,107.16. The only person who had recently inquired about the exact amount Ramey owed, according to Cothran, was a Mountaineer reporter, on Jan. 21.
The envelope containing the payment, which was made in cash, was marked “Friends of Terry Ramey.” Cothran said he destroyed the envelope — a public record — and that no other correspondence or instructions were included inside.
The Haywood County Tax Collector’s web page states in all caps, “NO CASH SHOULD BE LEFT IN DROPBOX.” The tax payment drop box itself, positioned prominently outside the main entrance to the historic Haywood County Courthouse, also states in all caps, “NO CASH.” The website further explains that cash payments can be accepted in the tax collector’s office.
On Jan 30, SMN obtained security camera footage from the courthouse, pointing directly at the drop box. The camera, county officials explained, is motion activated. It’s
FRIENDS
Ramey’s official campaign committee is called “Committee to Elect Ramey for Commissioner,” per a statement of organization on file at the Haywood County Board of Elections. That the payment was made by “Friends of Terry Ramey” raises a potential campaign finance issue.
Some of Ramey’s large campaign signs bear the tag, “Paid for by Friends of Terry Ramey.”
As of Jan. 28, there was no statement of organization on file at the Haywood County Board of Elections for “Friends of Terry Ramey.” if “Friends of Terry Ramey” is a legitimate PAC or campaign entity, as listed on campaign signs, the tax payment violated North Carolina campaign finance law, which states campaign funds may not be used for a candidate’s personal expenses. Personal expenses explicitly include debts or obligations that would exist regardless of the campaign. Unpaid personal property taxes fall into that category; they are not campaignrelated, not incidental to campaigning and not incurred as a result of holding or running for office.
That gives the “Friends” group until roughly Feb. 21 to file a statement of organization and report the sign expenditures, as well as the tax payment. Doing so could raise further questions for whomever signs on as the chair and treasurer of the committee.
APPEARANCES
Furthermore, NCGS 160A-86 requires local governments to adopt an ethics policy, which Haywood County most recently did in 2010. Based on the policy, Ramey’s acceptance of a third-party tax payment appears to conflict with the county’s ethical standards, even apart from any criminal or campaign finance analysis.
The policy emphasizes that commissioners “should act with integrity and independence from improper influence” and should remain “incorruptible and unaffected by improper influence” while exercising their duties.
A third party paying a personal financial obligation of a sitting commissioner creates a reasonable appearance of compromised independence, regardless of whether improper influence can be proven.
The policy defines impropriety using an objective standard, stating that the Board of Commissioners “will consider impropriety in terms of whether a reasonable person who is aware of all of the relevant facts and circumstances surrounding the commissioner’s action would conclude that the action was inappropriate.”
Under that standard, a reasonable person aware that a sitting commissioner’s tax liability was satisfied by an outside party could plausibly view the action as inappropriate.
The policy further advises that when actions “may be misunderstood,” a commissioner “should seek the advice of the county attorney and should consider publicly disclosing the facts of the situation and the steps taken to F
A campaign sign for Haywood County Commissioner Terry Ramey on Russ Avenue contains a reference to who paid for it. Cory Vaillancourt photo
County Attorney Frank Queen said that the ethics policy calls for a consultation between a potentially conflicted commissioner and the county attorney and that a county attorney generally cannot comment on whether they had a conversation with or offered advice to a commissioner.
Ramey’s failure to proactively seek guidance or disclose the circumstances would further weigh toward an ethics violation under the board’s own policy, which prioritizes public trust and the avoidance of even the appearance of impropriety. Ramey did not respond to an inquiry from SMN about any consultation with the county attorney.
Ramey has maintained that he did not owe the taxes and told the Mountaineer “I did not want it [the payment] done.”
Ramey’s stubborn insistence has either fed or been fed by his “friends.” Ramey ally Sherry Morgan told commissioners Jan. 20 that “he has paid his real estate taxes on time for more than 50 years.” Definitely not. Shortly after the anonymous payment, conservative blogger LeRoy Cossette implored, “enough already about Ramey and his non-existent unpaid property taxes.”
The proof that Morgan’s and Cossette’s claims are not based in reality comes from Ramey’s own hand — the repayment agreement he signed in 2022 for his unpaid taxes, totaling more than $2,100. The agreement states that “The undersigned Haywood County property taxpayer acknowledges an obligation to pay the delinquent taxes set forth upon the tax bill(s) attached (Exhibit A).”
Further proof debunking Cossette’s claim is self-evident in that the anonymous payment for Ramey’s unpaid taxes was accepted without a second thought by Cothran on Jan. 25.
Throughout the three-year ordeal, Ramey had not raised the argument publicly, until last week in the Mountaineer story. Ramey apparently didn’t agree with the county’s valuation of a truck for which he was being taxed, so he didn’t pay the tax.
That’s not quite how it works.
“Typically, once you get a valuation, you’ve got 30 days from the date of that notice to appeal, and that goes to an informal level. The [tax] assessor makes a decision as to whether or not that value is going to remain in place,” said Judy Hickman, Haywood County’s tax assessor. “If they’re not satisfied with what the assessor has, they can appeal to the board of equalization and review, and then they can go to the property tax commission.”
Hickman wasn’t the tax assessor when the taxes were assessed, so she can’t recall if Ramey ever availed himself of the process. Regardless, the tax bills remained in place.
“Once the tax bill’s out there, the burden falls on the taxpayer,” Hickman said.
What has been settled once and for all — unless the anonymous payment is returned — is not the dispute over Ramey’s taxes, but the fact that Ramey never paid them.
“Well, better late than never,” said Sybil Mann, chair of the Haywood County Democratic Party. “It is a sad commentary that he never paid it himself like any other Haywood County resident. And, he wants to be a leader in our county?”
Tax Collector Sebastian Cothran said he discovered the anonymous cash payment in the drop box outside the historic Haywood Courthouse. Cory Vaillancourt photo
‘Where We Live’ presents ‘History Nature and Culture — The Trail of Tears’
On Monday, Feb. 16, the series “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” will present “Finding the Trails of Tears and Creating a National Historic Trail in Southwestern North Carolina” with Brett Riggs.
For more than 40 years, researchers have worked to find and document remnants of landscapes associated with the 1838 deportations of Cherokee peoples from their homelands. Here, detailed survey records are used to find remains of Cherokee homes, trails and roads, and the federal military infrastructure used to dispossess and displace Cherokee families. These archaeological landscapes are now under protections and interpretive development as part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, a National Park Service administered network that stretches from North Carolina to Oklahoma. This presentation will look at these landscapes and the future of the National Historic Trail that remembers a tragic episode of the American story.
Brett High Riggs is the Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina University. Prior to joining Western Carolina University, Riggs was a research archaeologist and assistant professor in the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina. He previously served as deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and archaeologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and serves on the executive committee of the National Trail of Tears Association.
The program will begin at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 16, at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin.
Nantahala Health Foundation investing in well-being
Continuing its focus on helping at-risk young people reach their full potential, Nantahala Health Foundation has awarded grant funding to seven regional organizations working to promote wellbeing for this population’s most vulnerable.
Organizations identified by the Foundation’s Board of Directors as having the highest potential to change lifelong trajectories and their funded program goals include the following:
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC will design mentor-mentee relationships for approximately 75 new Littles (ages 6–10) and 75 high school Bigs (ages 16–18). Additionally, BBBS will build 80 middle school mentee groups across Cherokee, Swain and Graham counties and the Qualla Boundary.
• Child Medical Collaborative will provide access to specialized medical care, including physical examinations, mental health screenings, and referrals for additional care if needed, to abuse victims up to age 18.
• Communities in Schools of North Carolina will remove barriers to success by re-engaging students who need help getting back on track academically at Smokey Mountain Elementary near Cherokee and Blue Ridge School in Glenville.
• Four Square Community Action’s Head Start program will ensure its students receive hearing and vision screenings before entering Kindergarten.
Brett High Riggs is the Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina University. Donated photo
11:30 a.m., attendees are invited to participate in a “Heart Hustle Walk” led by Dr. Steven Gore followed by a heart-healthy lunch beginning at 11:45 a.m., while supplies last.
• Graham County Schools will expand its school-based health services for students identified as requiring mental health support services to school systems in Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
• Hawthorn Heights WNC will provide comprehensive mental health services for youth in its care.
• Youth Villages North Carolina will remove barriers to academic success for those aging out of foster care.
Children growing up in struggling households face challenges that affect their future health and well-being. Without adequate support, they are likely to encounter educational, employment and societal barriers that harm their ability to reach their full potential, said NHF Executive Director Lori Bailey.
“When quality healthcare is out of reach due to costs, transportation and a shortage of providers, our most vulnerable fail to thrive,” Bailey said. “When our schools lack resources to engage struggling students, futures look bleak. Then, as they get older, these same kids are forced to postpone their dreams because of economic instability.”
However, interventions like those receiving NHF funding improve the likelihood that vulnerable young people stay in school, avoid substance abuse and receive mental health services when needed, increasing their potential to contribute to their families and the regional economy, she said.
“Our goal with these grant funds is to strengthen community engagement and mentorship programs so that our youth are not navigating hardships alone,” she said.
‘Take Heart Haywood’ set for Feb. 26 in Haywood
Haywood Regional Medical Center will host its Second Annual Community Heart Expo, “Take Heart Haywood,” from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center Gym. This free, family-friendly event is held in recognition of American Heart Month and is designed to provide education, screenings, and resources that support heart health and disease prevention.
February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Nearly one in five deaths nationwide is linked to heart disease, and many individuals live with undiagnosed risk factors such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
“Heart health is personal, and it affects families in every stage of life,” said HRMC CEO Sue Shugart “This expo is about giving our community simple, approachable ways to ask questions and take steps that support their long-term health.”
“Take Heart Haywood” will feature:
• Free blood pressure screenings
• Heart health and prevention education
• Nutrition and lifestyle guidance
• Cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation resources
• Home-based care and community support information
• Chair massages, giveaways, and a photo booth
• Activities for children
The expo is a drop-in event, with activities and resources available throughout the scheduled time. At
“Take Heart Haywood” is open to the community, and no registration is required.
Asheville Bridge Room announces ‘Welcome to Bridge’ course
The Asheville Bridge Room is hosting a 10week course, “Welcome to Bridge,” at Congregation Beth Israel, 229 Murdock Ave. in Asheville.
This series is designed for new players and those who seek a review of the basics. The course, including play of the hand each week, is held from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays beginning Feb. 11.
The $100 registration fee includes 10 classes and the textbook. The teacher is Lisa Bryant, an ACBL certified bridge director and educator.
To register for the course, go to ABR’s website abrnc.org, or call Club Manager Sarah Manow, 828.298.0577.
Sylva First Baptist Church hosts ‘Charlie’s Challenge’
You are invited to attend the 2026 Charlie’s Challenge at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at in the Mission and Fellowship Center at First Baptist Church Sylva.
This event includes opportunities to win raffle prizes, participate in a cake auction, enjoy the music from TLQ+2 and a eat delicious meal prepared by Chef Jordan and his team from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
Join Jackson Neighbors in Need and Mountain Projects as they celebrate their 18th year as an organization committed to helping neighbors stay warm and safe during the cold winter months.
Monetary gifts accepted at the event, online or mailed to Mountain Projects at 154 Medical Park Loop, Sylva, NC 28779 (use JNIN on memo line). RSVP at tinyurl.com/charlieschallenge2026.
Lake Junaluska hosts
Valentine’s Day dinner
Treat your valentine to a chef-crafted specialty meal designed for romance on Saturday, Feb. 14, at The Terrace Hotel Dining Room at Lake Junaluska. This special four-course dinner will be available from 5:30-8 p.m. and will feature an oysters-centered appetizer, specialty salad and an entree of filet mignon and grilled shrimp with spiced lobster. Dessert will be crème brûlée with a chocolate covered candied strawberry. This full, four-course dinner is $42.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required. To reserve your seats, visit bit.ly/LJValentinesdaydinner.
‘A civilization to be proud of …’
“Here’s why the original neocon thinkers — people such as Irving Kristol, James Q. Wilson, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan — can be so helpful right now: They focused their attention on the bloody crossroads where morality and politics intersect. They saw politics through the lens of not only polling and social-science data, but also literature, philosophy, psychology and theology. They asked the big questions — not just How can we win the next election? but How can we create a civilization to be proud of? The moral and spiritual tenor of their political writings could be a tonic for a society in moral and spiritual crisis.”
In bed, reading magazine articles and nearing sleep, I snapped awake when I read this paragraph by David Brooks in the January issue of The Atlantic. Brooks, in his own words, has “a moderate conservative political philosophy informed by thinkers like Edmund Burke and Alexander Hamilton.” He’s worked for newspapers most consider conservative (The Wall Street Journal) and most consider liberal (The New York Times). By my estimation, those are pretty good bona fides to qualify him as not tied to any party but rather a deep thinker. But it was that one line in the article’s opening paragraph that jolted me out of my sleep: “How can we create a civilization to be proud of?”
Donald Trump hasn’t led us to this place where 70% of American youths don’t believe in the American dream — a
Trump’s immigration policies misguided
To the Editor:
The Immigration Act of 1990 was the last time significant changes were made to legal immigration and is considered outdated for today’s challenges. In 2013 a bipartisanship bill passed the Senate with a strong majority, including provisions for border security, EVerify and a pathway to citizenship, but failed to get a House vote due to lack of support from House Republicans.
It is my opinion that Republicans were against E-Verify because they wanted businesses to be able to continue to hire cheaper labor. If it had passed, businesses would have been required to check legal status before hiring people. Various other bills, like the American Dream and Promise Act (2019, 2021) and bipartisan border security packages (2024), have passed one chamber but failed to advance in the other. The latest bill, written by a Republican in 2024, did not pass because Donald Trump told the House Republicans to vote against it. My opinion is that he knew his only path to the presidency was to use Biden’s failed policies on immigration. I do believe that our elected officials in both parties have let us down.
As a result of the failure to pass sensible laws, millions of illegals have been able to remain in the U.S. for years working, paying taxes and raising families. They are not rapists and murderers. I believe our country owes it to them to have a process that allows this group to remain here. I have never heard any economist say that we do not need immi-
vision that life will be more prosperous and more fulfilling than previous generations, and that anyone can rise to the top through hard work and education no matter their background or ethnicity. No, Trump’s win is a result of the nation we have become.
Over the last 50 years, America has lost a shared sense of humanity and culture and a vision of what this country stands for. Knowledge of religion, history, literature and the arts has been devalued. The moral threads of our civilization that held us together have frayed.
We have always been a rambunctious and impetuous country. Since our founding, that has been a part of our calling card, but those attributes were always tempered by our a sense of honor, ethics, integrity and the value placed on education, science and knowledge.
No more. Trump embodies the basest attributes of American capitalism and modern culture, untethered to religion or honor, a brute wrecking ball swinging wildly on the world stage with no concern about how his actions will play out in the long run. He complains about not getting respect but can’t understand why his whiny, self-indulgent tirades pre-
LETTERS
grants for our economy to continue to grow. Do you really think we have enough citizens to do all jobs that are currently being filled by illegal immigrants. Really! Or maybe those white South Africans, who are the only refugees President Trump wants, will clean our hotel rooms and harvest our food. So, what do we have today? Masked ICE men in military clothing, most of whom have been hired in the last year, are storming our communities. The Wall Street Journal has
vent anyone from genuinely respecting him.
But I am hopeful that he represents the tipping point, that post-Trump we will never again elect someone who believes that the rapacious use of power coupled with shameless greed are the necessary tools of leadership.
Our country is in a strange and uncertain place that is about so much more than politics or who wins the next election. It’s about how the United States regains its footing, how we come out of this current divide with a vision for what we should stand for as a nation. Do we really want to embrace the masculine Machiavellian tone of this administration’s attitude toward the Western Hemisphere, the ridiculously-called “Donroe Doctrine,” with its overtones of colonialism powered by CIA-led late-night raids?
Do we really want to completely wreck our post-WWII relationships that said to the world that the U.S. and its allies stand for the rule of law, individual liberties and democratically elected governments, and will fight to the death for these values when challenged?
The next several years will say a lot about who we are as a people, as a nation. Will we stand for humanity, morality, honor and truth and strive to be a “civilization to be proud of?” Or, as we stand on the precipice, will we fall to the wrong side? Only time will tell.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at
stated that many new hires are clearly not qualified for the job and then are inadequately trained. That was so obvious in the way the ICE agents dealt with both Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In Renee’s case, the last thing she said was “I am not mad at you” before being shot three times as her car was turning in the opposite direction from the ICE agent. In Alex’s case he was attempting to help a woman who had been pushed down by an ICE agent, had a phone in one hand and the other hand on the ground before being shot nine times. However, it is clear from the videos that
info@smokymountainnews.com.)
both were murdered. Most Americans do not think a mother of three and an ICU nurse in a veteran’s hospital are terrorists as, Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and J.D. Vance would have you believe. Don’t believe me? Watch the videos.
This is America, not Russia with their KGB or 30s Germany with their Gestapo or are we, with our secret police called ICE? If we are killed for exercising our First Amendment rights, our democracy is lost. Donald Trump’s policies are not the right ones for a republic that claims to be predominately Christian. Surely there is a better way!
Linda Arnold Highlands
Jackson commissioners making poor decisions
To the Editor:
I want to address the financial issues involved with the decision by the Jackson County commissioners to leave the Fontana Regional Library System.
This past June citizens of Jackson County experienced a significant tax increase. The commissioners made a show at the June meeting of “lowering” the tax rate. They could have lowered it more. The tax rate went down, but hikes in property values more than offset the “lowered” rate.
With the withdrawal from the FRL, the commissions have spent $11,000 in consultant fees but haven’t released the results from the consultants. These are our tax dollars. It is our right to know how our tax dollars are being spent.
Editor Scott McLeod
Recently, the commissioners allocated $350,000 to purchase new equipment for their stand-alone library.
Mask Letson stated in a newspaper interview that the estimate for running a stand-alone library is going to be much higher than the originally stated $500,000. He stated that the cost could be three times that amount, which works out to 1.5 million dollars per year.
On top of all this, the “Big Beautiful Bill” will eliminate federal Medicaid payments to states right after the November elections. How will the state afford this? Increase taxes, of course. How will the average person afford this, given the high cost of groceries as well as the ever-increasing inflation?
The Jackson County commissioners are exercising very poor financial responsibility. The citizens of Jackson County will pay for it.
Lew Teter Cullowhee
Appalled at killing in Minnesota
To the Editor:
I wrote this letter to Congressman Chuck Edwards and thought it might be of interest to some others.
First of all, let me say that I am writing you because I am appalled at the killing of another American citizen on American streets by members of federal ICE and/or Border Patrol forces in Minnesota. This does not represent any sort of “immigration enforcement” I voted for.
I am particularly outraged at the federal government’s absolute refusal to work in concert with local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the most recent incident involving the death of an ICU nurse in the employ of the Veterans Administration.
I am therefore asking you to support the immediate initiation of a Congressional oversight process aimed at reviewing ICE/Border Patrol policies, procedures, training, and accountability processes. If these agencies are to receive taxpayer funding, then they and their agents must be held accountable for any questionable behavior — especially, and without exception, when it involves loss of life.
John Sanderson Canton
Stein should prep for the vote steal
To the Editor:
I recently sent this letter to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.
I fear that the current deployment of ICE, CBP, a federalized National Guard, the FBI and the DEA is actually practice for the Trump administration’s seizure of voting machines in historically Democrat voting areas in the 2026 General Election. This will happen in 2026 because, if as predicted, the election were to honestly give Democrats the
House, that would curb further intrusion by Trump into democracy. Upon seizure, however — alleging national security, of course — Trump’s brownshirts would simply either destroy ballots or produce falsified ballots and claim the outcome he wants.
To obstruct this scheme in North Carolina, you might consider fielding your own Ballot Integrity Protection Force under what appears to be authority permitted you by General Statute (Ch. 127A, NC Code). Of course, the Republican legislature would not fund this, but an appeal by way of a GoFund-Me Page, believe it or not, might provide funding. At least, it would allow decent American citizens to, essentially, vote to protect their voting franchise.
I leave to you the TOE (Technical, Organizational and Environmental) complexity of such an undertaking. However, if the National Guard could avoid federalization, your command thereof and its protective deployment would be the better solution.
Frank Peterson Whittier
Losing
library director makes matters worse
To the Editor:
I’m sorry to read that Tracy Fitzmaurice resigned as head of the Fontana Regional Library System, and I want to say something clearly in defense of Tracy.
Tracy has given decades of steady, public-minded service to the Fontana Regional Library community — she’s been with the system since 1991 and stepped into the director role in January 2023. That kind of institutional knowledge and calm competence isn’t replaceable on a 30-day timeline.
What’s especially troubling is how quickly “political ideology” gets used as a vague accusation when a library simply does what libraries are meant to do: provide access, follow a written collection policy and serve everyone — including people we don’t personally agree with. The story here isn’t that one director “pushed an agenda.” The story is that the library has been pulled into a climate of conflict — withdrawal threats, inability to secure legal counsel and even anonymous threats sent to staff, trustees and members of the media.
Also, the combined director/county librarian arrangement wasn’t some personal power-grab — it was a structural reality the system has navigated for years, and changes to that structure come with real costs and staffing complications, especially with Jackson County’s uncertain status.
Whatever people think about displays or specific titles, no community benefits from driving out experienced public servants under suspicion and pressure. Libraries aren’t safer when professionals resign — they’re weaker, easier to politicize and harder to run.
Thank you, Tracy, for your years of service and for doing a difficult job in an impossible climate.
Charlie Nicholas Jackson County
‘No plugs, no pedals, only
bluegrass’
Asheville Mountain Boys release new album
Tbluegrass from the Buncombe County quartet.
Recorded at The Shop Studio with master bluegrass engineer Van Atkins (Doyle Lawson, Balsam Range, Town Mountain), the record blends heartfelt originals about love and loss with a hand-picked selection of bluegrass standards and deep cuts from the catalogs of the band’s musical heroes.
At a time when roots music is undergoing something of a progressive revolution, The Asheville Mountain Boys offer a look back into one of bluegrass’ golden ages, drawing inspiration from titans like Jimmy Martin, Earl Taylor and Paul Williams as they forge their own path in traditional acoustic music.
“In the sea of modern bluegrass there’s all sorts of fusions of different genres, extended jams and those sorts of things,” said guitarist Marshall Brown. “We want to offer people a way to hear a modern bluegrass band do old-school bluegrass material, and our originals center on timeless narratives that we hope feature the same sort of powerful storytelling you hear in the 50s and 60s bluegrass we like.”
Although the group has become a mainstay of the Asheville bluegrass scene over the past two years, the idea to release a full-length album wasn’t really on any of the band members’ radars when they started the recording process.
“When we started, it was with the intention of doing some singles to play on the radio and to be streamed next to modern bluegrass recordings. It has to have a certain quality that can be really hard to capture, but Van is a master of the modern
The record features four original tunes including the album’s lead single, “Don’t Take Me Back Again,” a cautionary tale of the perils of rekindled romance, which is rooted in Brown’s real-life experience navigating a tricky breakup. The track highlights many of the band’s strengths with some hot picking, tight harmonies and a focus on the unrelenting groove heard in recordings of the bluegrass masters of the 1950s and 60s.
“‘Don’t Take Me Back Again’ is the most emblematic song of the whole band,” said bassist Jacob Brewer. “It’s a Jimmy Martin style tune; it’s got threepart harmonies, great split breaks from [mandolinist] Zeb [Gambill] and [banjoist] John [Duncan]. It’s the most complete picture of the band in one song from this batch of recordings.”
Other originals touch on everything from the heartache of love lost in Brown’s “Empty, Cold, and Lonesome” to a community’s grief in the wake of natural disaster in Gambill’s “Flood of 1916.”
Want to go?
lot of modern radio stuff is meant to just be singles that last a couple seasons, but maybe the emotional impact isn’t as solid. The emotion is there on this record — it’s about tragedy and loss, overcoming adversity, living a difficult life. The songs pack a punch.”
While the band is best known for their straight-ahead bluegrass sound, The Asheville Mountain Boys also showcase their old-time chops in the classic Asheville fiddle tune “Lady Hamilton.” The tune is a staple of the region’s old-time scene recorded by such legends as Manco Sneed, Marcus Martin and Tommy Magness, whose recordings were the inspiration for the track.
Acclaimed Western North Carolina bluegrass act The Asheville Mountain Boys will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at The Grey Eagle in Asheville. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show is all ages. Standing room only. Admission is $25.10 per person (tax included). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit thegreyeagle.com.
The band also tips their hats to an all-star cast of bluegrass legends in covers ranging from Paul Williams’ “Deep River” to Bob Newman’s “That’s How I Can Count on You,” popularized by one of The Asheville Mountain Boys’ favorite iterations of
“Going to old-time fiddlers’ conventions is how we all met, so having an old-time tune connected to Asheville on the record was important to us,” Duncan said. “We love old-time music, and it’s such a big part of what we do.”
The Asheville Mountain Boys will celebrate the release of their debut album on Feb. 12 at The Grey Eagle Music Hall in Asheville in collaboration with “Train Songz,” a Brooklyn-based quarterly bluegrass print publication. For more information on the band, visit ashevillemountainboys.com.
Asheville Mountain Boys will play Asheville Feb. 12. Donated photo
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
‘Now you say you’re leaving’ home, ‘cause you want to be alone’
Hello from my folks’ farmhouse out in the countryside of Upstate New York. It’s been mighty frigid here in my native North Country since I arrived home last week. At one point, ‘round midnight on a recent evening, the temperature dropped to around -22 degrees. Daytime temps hovered at zero for several days, with wind chills from the Canadian Arctic making critters outside hide and remain silent and those inside huddled near the fireplace, waiting out the cold. This is the first time I’ve been home in just about exactly one year. And it was the same story even then, below zero weather and lots of snow. Heck, we got over a foot of fresh powder yesterday alone, my trusty, rusty pickup truck now entirely covered up with the white stuff and currently resembling a tall, rectangular snowbank. Brush off the snow and get on with your day, eh?
This go-round, I traversed north of the Mason-Dixon Line to see my parents, with my mother’s birthday last week the main focus of this trek up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The morning of her birthday, she had to take my father to a doctor’s appointment across Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. By that evening, I was able to sneak her away to Anthony’s Bistro (the fancy restaurant in these parts) in Plattsburgh, New York, for a meal and a beverage held high, in unison, and in celebration of her special day. Now? It’s early Tuesday evening. The farmhouse is in its usual rhythm. My father in the back den, tending to his woodstove and watching sports. My mother in the living room, tending to her woodstove and watching the local news. Our family dog, a golden retriever, lying on the wooden floor of the kitchen, a few feet from where I sit at the table and type away wildly. The windows of the house are fogged up from Old Man Winter licking his chops. Although it’s freezing cold and most people wouldn’t venture to this part of the country until at least Memorial Day Weekend, I find this time of year quite enjoyable. The silence. The tranquility. This true sense of place and genuine appreciation for the changing seasons.
I mean, how can you appreciate the dog days of summer if you can’t handle the depths of winter, the ancient and timeless splendor of what it takes to bundle up and head out the front door?
Truth be told, this is the second year-in-arow that I’ve found myself up here in the attic of America. Not necessarily by choice, more so circumstance. By spring, I’m usually bouncing around Southern Appalachia on an array of assignments. By summer and fall, more assignments as I aim the nose of the truck towards the Rocky Mountains, with Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and South Dakota being the main anchor points of my wandering.
And yet, I find solace and joy when I pack up my things in my quaint apartment in downtown Waynesville — winter clothing, warm boots, proper outdoor running/hiking gear — not long after the ball drops in Times Square for New Year’s Eve, fill up the gas tank on Old Asheville Highway on the outskirts of town, and start the long trip (1,100+ miles) down Interstate 40, up I-26 to I-81 to I-88 to I-87 to the 1840 brick farmhouse in Plattsburgh.
My mindset on this excursion has been, as per usual, one of great reflection. It never ceases to amaze me how much I have to think about and how many miles it takes to get even a little bit of clarity within my restless thoughts. It conjures that old adage, “Oh, what a difference a year makes.” The head on my shoulders remains steadfast, much more than it was one full wall calendar ago when I retreated to the North Country in search of myself once again.
By this juncture of the column, it’s a few hours after I initially wrote the first part of this here column. Amid the initial run at completing this piece, it was decided that my mother and I would go play some pool at the local lounge, Meron’s, which has been a mainstay in the Plattsburgh community for decades. Both my parents remember going there in the 1960s, when they were young adults, when both had yet to meet in person.
Like clockwork, playing pool at Meron’s with my mom is something we’ve been doing for the better part of the last two decades, at least since I was 23 and just had returned from my first reporting gig out in Idaho in 2008. At age 40 (now), I still look forward to when my
HOT PICKS
1
The 19th annual “Outhouse Race” will return to the slopes at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Sapphire Valley Ski Area.
2
Americana/folk singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.
3
“Makers Market” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, in The Lineside at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
4
Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host “Line Dancing Workshop” with the J. Creek Cloggers at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6.
5
“Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop” is now on display at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee.
mom asks if I want to shoot some billiards once I’m done remote work for the day and can slip my collar.
Like clockwork, we pull into the snowy parking space at Meron’s, the old-school neon lights atop the front door glowing in the faint, cascading snowflakes from the heavens above. Walk in and order my usual, a Labatt Blue Light. Head to the pool table with a pocketful of quarters (one game is only 75 cents). Head to the nearby jukebox and select the same songs she and I always play when we play pool: Chicago, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Animals, Sly & The Family Stone, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Eagles, Willie Nelson and so on.
We usually end up playing three or four games of pool before the jukebox selections have run their course. Between the beginning and the end of the Meron’s journey, many topics have been covered between the two of us, with the usual subjects coming to the surface of the conversation: love lost and love found (on my end), grandchildren (on her end), and whatever else may strike our fancy — from politics to music, traveling dreams to everyday situations.
An hour or so later, it’s time to go back home, but not before acknowledging my mom’s birthday (last week) being listed on the famed calendar tacked up on the Meron’s wall in recognition of locals beloved by the establishment. The page next to be recognized is February, with my birthday also listed (Feb. 5). It’s a privilege to be listed. It’s a privilege to spend quality time with her, too.
Cruise back to the family farmhouse, down frozen roads of familiarity and of my youth, snowbanks higher than the hood of the vehicle, now the guardrails of time and place. Zoom by road signs to other towns held close to my heart, and to my memory. My mom thanks me for the great night. I concur. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
Bloomingdale Bog Trail in Upstate New York. Garret K. Woodward photo
On the street
Ready for the ‘Outhouse Races’?
A beloved winter spectacle in Western North Carolina, the 19th annual “Outhouse Race” will return to the slopes at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Sapphire Valley Ski Area. Crazy? Maybe. Dangerous? Perhaps. Fun? Without a doubt. Dozens of outhouses race to compete for the throne. Spectators come from throughout the southeast to line the course and cheer on those brave enough to see if the outhouse crashes and burns or sails across the finish line.
The “Outhouse Races” have been named a “Top 20” event in the southeast for February by Southeast Tourism Society.
Homemade outhouses can be made of wood, cardboard, plastic or any other homemade items. There are three people on a team, and outhouses are secured on a set of skis. These skis are pushed by two team members, while one team member “sits” inside.
Outhouses are equipped with a seat with at least one hole and a roll of toilet paper or alternative wiping source. The race course is a two-lane track on packed snow (or on ice), with two teams racing each other head to head over a length of approximately 120 feet (40 yards), the first 30 feet being propelled by the pushers and the last 90 feet under its own gravitational power.
On the wall
• Breadheads Tiki Shak (Sylva) will host “Tiki Hearts & Handmade Art” from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. Local artists, mimosa flights, full bar and more. 828.307.2160 / breadheadstikishak.com.
• “Makers Market” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, in The Lineside at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Over 30 local/regional arts and crafts vendors and more. Beer, wine and mimosa bar. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• “Rotunda Show Reception” will be showcased at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. This group exhibition features work from regional artists working across a
ALSO:
variety of mediums, highlighting the depth of artistic expression within our Western North Carolina community. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours. All work is juried by the Jackson County Arts Council. For more information, visit jacksoncountyarts.org.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. 828.452.0593 / haywoodarts.org.
WCU Fine Art Museum turns 20
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Fine Art Museum within the Bardo Arts Center is hosting an exhibition of artwork highlighting the long history of art collecting at the museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
Step into a visual timeline celebrating the anniversary of the museum, featuring a dynamic exhibition showcasing decades of WCU’s dedication to collecting and curating contemporary art.
This special anniversary exhibition honors the museum’s roots in the Belk and Chelsea galleries, highlighting key moments from its early focus on studio glass and women artists to its evolving commitment to contemporary Native American voices.
Visitors will encounter artwork from each chapter of the museum’s history, reflecting the people, places and priorities that shaped its collection. The exhibition also commemorates the museum’s national accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums — an honor
Admission is $5 per person, with guided parking $5 per car. Check-in is at noon, with the “Potty Parade” at 2:45 p.m. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served by the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley. Limited internet, bring cash. For more information, visit sapphirevalleyresorts.com or call
828.743.1163.
Stecoah welcomes Cherokee Historical Association
On the morning of Monday, Jan. 12, a group from Cherokee Historical Association visited the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
Both CHA and SVC are nonprofits dedicated to the preservation of history and culture. Thus, the CHA representatives’ focus was on how Cherokee history and culture was being presented at SVC.
Within SVC’s Lynn L. Shields Auditorium, they viewed the Billy Welch 7 Clans masks, then read the mask descriptions posted in the Courtyard of the Cherokee. While in the courtyard, they took a group photo by “The Eternal Flame” sculpture created by Nathan Bush, JR Wolfe and William Rogers. Of note is that the Cherokee Preservation Foundation helped fund the Courtyard of the Cherokee.
Back inside the Exhibition Hallway, the group read through the historical panels, noting the inclusion of “Unto These Hills.” In the process, they talked with SVC Program Director Karen McCracken about how to update the panels and improve guest experiences. Overall, the visit fostered valuable dialogue and strengthened a shared commitment to honoring Cherokee history and culture.
The SVCis a nonprofit corporation serving the people of Stecoah and greater Graham County through programs and services benefitting all members of the community, with a keen focus on preserving and promoting Southern Appalachian mountain culture, which includes the restoration of the historic old Stecoah School to its original role as the center of the community.
For a full schedule of upcoming events, visit stecoahvalleycenter.com/calendar.
held by only a select 3% of U.S. museums. The museum’s collection of over 2,100 works of contemporary art by artists of the Americas continues to grow each year. This collection supports the museum’s dynamic exhibition program, enhances student learning through objectbased experiences and provides a catalyst for interdisciplinary dialogue across the campus community and the Western North Carolina region.
The exhibition will be available for viewing through July 2, with a special reception from 57 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. Complimentary light appetizers and beverages will be served, and free parking is available after 5 p.m. at the Bardo Arts Center. For more information, visit arts.wcu.edu/20-anniversary.
To see BAC’s full calendar of events, visit arts.wcu.edu/explore or call 828.227.ARTS. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
HCAC’s ‘Inspired by a Song’
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) latest exhibit “Inspired by a Song” is being showcased at Haywood Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville.
“Inspired by a Song” explores the powerful connection between music and visual art. In conjunction with HCAC and the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre’s recent “Cool Jazz” concert, artists were invited to create work inspired by a song of their choosing — any genre, any era — that moves or motivates them. The resulting exhibit translates rhythm, lyrics and sound into compelling visual expression.
“Music has a way of bringing back specific moments — where you were, who you were with, how something made you feel,” said glass artist Dori Settles. “These shoes [pictured] are my attempt to give shape to those memories, each pair echoing a song that’s been part of my life’s soundtrack. They’re familiar objects, but remade through the lens of rhythm, emotion and remembering.”
The exhibit is made possible in part through artist sponsorships. Carol Anderson is recognized as the “Spotlight Artist Sponsor,” with “Featured Artist Sponsors” including Maria Davis, Sheri Friedman, Christine Gibson, Jan Kolenda, Jennifer Sharkey, Laura Jo Thompson and Lisa Bradley.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit haywoodarts.org or stop by the gallery during regular business hours.
‘Outhouse Race’ will be Feb. 7 in
Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville. File photo
‘Blue Suede’ by Dori Settles. Donated photo
WCU photo.
On the beat
• 4118 Kitchen & Bar (Highlands) will host live music 6-8 p.m. Thursdays. Free and open to the public 828.526.5002 or 4118kitchenbar.toast.site.
• Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library (Cashiers) will host “Community Jam Sessions” from 2-4 p.m. the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Informal jamming. All skill levels are welcome. Free and open to the public. 828.743.0215 / fontanalib.org/cashiers.
• American Legion Post 47 (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” 3 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.456.8691.
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.497.1015 / facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.
• Assembly On Main (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 7-9 p.m. Mondays (signup at 6:30 p.m.). Food and drink specials.
828.246.0996 / bevelbar.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host “Music Bingo Night” 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, The Blue Mountaineers (Americana/bluegrass) on Thursdays and Rick Yates (singersongwriter) Feb. 7. All music starts at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / facebook.com/brbeerhub.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Karaoke Night” 9 p.m. Wednesdays, “Trivia” 7 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Jam” 10 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.
• Breadheads Tiki Shak (Sylva) will host “Tiki Trivia” at 7 p.m. every other Thursday of the month, “Speed Dating Musical Chairs” 10 p.m. Feb. 14 and Ryles Monroe (singer-songwriter) 10 p.m. Feb. 20. 828.307.2160 / breadheadstikishak.com.
Cataloochee Ranch goes Americana
Americana/folk singersongwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.
Edwards has been a singer-songwriter for over 30 years. His music holds an honesty and an authenticity not built on outward style, but inner substance. He is joined by a backing band of some of the top players in the region, all with vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Buck Owens & Don Rich.
A. Lee Edwards will play Maggie Valley Feb. 11. File photo
($185 per couple, $95 per individual, with price including food, taxes and gratuity). Reservations required. The kitchen and wine bar open at 4 p.m. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host “Open Mic” at 6 p.m. every second Friday of the month and semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 / curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” on select dates. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $40 per person, with discounts rates available for hotel guests and members. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host “World Drum Classes” every Friday at 2:30 p.m. (adults, free) and 4 p.m. (family friendly, all ages, free), “Waynesville Acoustic Guitar Group” 2-4 p.m. every second and fourth Saturday of the month (free), “Line Dancing Workshop” with the J. Creek Cloggers 6 p.m. Feb. 6 ($15 per person) and Kanola Band (jazz/funk) 7 p.m. Feb. 14 ($25 general admission, with “pay what you can” options available). 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Ryles Monroe (singer-songwriter) Feb. 6, Muddy Guthrie (singer-songwriter) Feb. 7, Martin Vietnieks (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. Feb. 8, Rocky Collins (singer-songwriter) Feb. 13, Rich Manz Trio (acoustic/oldies) Feb. 14 and Mark Todd (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. Feb. 15. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
highlandsdive.com.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” with Scott Low 6-9 p.m. Thursdays ($5 cover), Zorki (singersongwriter) 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, “Bluegrass Brunch” 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sundays (free) and the “Salon Series” with Valley James (singer-songwriter) 8:30 p.m. Feb. 26 ($41.84 per person, tax included). 828.526.2590 / highlandermountainhouse.com.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.9047 / highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Highlands Smokehouse (Highlands) will host live music from 1-3 p.m. Sundays. 828.526.3554 / highlandsmokehouse.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic with Phil” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678 / innovation-brewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.226.0262 / innovation-brewing.com.
• John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown) will host a “Community Jam” 7 p.m. Thursdays at the nearby Crown Restaurant and semi-regular live music on the weekends. folkschool.org.
• J.R. Chophouse (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.369.3663 / jrchophouse.com.
Admission is $25 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.
Free and open to the public. 828.246.0839 / assemblyonmain.com.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host “Open Mic” 8-10 p.m. Thursdays. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 / balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Picking on the Porch” (open community jam) 6 p.m. Tuesdays, “Trivia Night” 7 p.m. Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Bevel Bar (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.
• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Alan Edwards (Americana/folk) Feb. 11 ($25 per person) and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) Feb. 18 ($25 per person). All shows begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host “Romantic Valentine’s Dinner & Live Jazz” with The Cara Morgan Trio 7 p.m. Feb. 14
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. 828.369.8488 / littletennessee.org.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• High Country Wine & Provisions (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.482.4502 / highcountrywineandprovisions.com.
• High Dive (Highlands) will host “Trivia” 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.2200 /
• Las Barricas (Franklin) will host C-Square Band 11 a.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. Free and open to the public. 828.349.4484 / lasbarricasmexicanrestaurant.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Tuesdays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, “Open Mic Night” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Mondays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, “Old Time Jam” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Legends Sports Bar & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host Blue Mountaineers (Americana/bluegrass) 5-7 p.m. Mondays, “Open Mic Night” 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, karaoke Thursdays F
(6 p.m.) and Saturdays (7 p.m.), with live music each Friday (8 p.m.). Free and open to the public. 828.944.0403 / facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.
• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (Americana) at 2 p.m. the first and third Monday and a “Song Circle” open jam from 3-6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org/franklin.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1717 / meadowlarkmotel.com.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” with Frank Lee every Thursday, Liz Petty (singer-songwriter) Feb. 6, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) Feb. 7 and Scott James Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) Feb. 14. All shows begin at 6 p.m unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Old Edwards Inn (Highlands) will host live music in the Hummingbird Lounge at 5:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Free and open to the public. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 6 p.m. on the first Friday of every month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 / orchardcoffeeroasters.com.
• Otto Community Center (Otto) will host “Music Nights” with James Thompson from 4-6 p.m. first and third Friday of the month. Free and open to the public. go2ottonc.com.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “Songwriters Showcase #58” Feb. 21. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 / facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host “Karaoke” 7 p.m. Wednesdays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Mic” 6:30 p.m. Fridays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” on Mondays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105 /
facebook.com/saltydogs2005.
• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on Sundays. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 / facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic” the first Wednesday of every month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Tickets now available, with seating upgrades offered. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Smoky Mountain Dog Bar (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 5-7 p.m. Fridays. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0726 / smokymountaindogbakery.com.
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• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month (free) and semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Stubborn Bull (Highlands) will host “Live Music Mondays” with local/regional singersongwriters. All shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.200.0813 / the-stubborn-bull.com.
• Trailborn (Highlands) will host its “Carolina Concert Series” on semi-regular dates on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.482.1581 or trailborn.com/highlands.
• Twisted Spoke Food & Tap (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1730 / facebook.com/twistedspokerestaurant.
• Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 / theuglydogpub.com.
• Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Music” 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, “Karaoke” 9:30 p.m. Fridays, “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Sundays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 / theuglydogpub.com.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Company (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 / valleycigarandwineco.com.
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On the stage On the table
• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host its annual “Valentine’s Day Cabaret” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 and 2 p.m. Feb. 15. Organized and headlined by HART Executive Director Candice Dickinson, the evening features an intimate mix of love songs and storytelling, with vocals by Dickinson, Ben Mackel, Carly Christensen and Noah Sheets. The supporting band features John Crawley (piano), Will Caldwell (bass) and guitar/vocals by Ben Mackel and Billy West. General admission is $25 per person. 828.456.6322 / harttheatre.org.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahscherokee.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.526.9047 / mountaintheatre.com.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
• Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.488.7843 / swainartscenter.com.
book.com/waternhole.bar.
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• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Jason” Tuesdays, “Tom’s Trivia Night” Wednesdays, Breakcutter (rock/jam) Feb. 6 and Rock Holler (rock/country) Feb. 13. All shows and events begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 / valley-tavern.com.
• Vineyard At High Holly (Scaly Mountain) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.482.5573 / thevineyardathighholly.com.
• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 8 p.m. Mondays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750 / face-
• Wells Events & Reception Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.476.5070 / wellseventcenter.simpletix.com.
• Western Carolina Brew & Wine (Highlands) will host live music 4-6 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. 828.342.6707 / wcbrewandwine.com.
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 / whitesidebrewing.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host “Country Thursdays” (Americana/country) 6 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Family/dog friendly. 828.200.2169 / eatrealfoodinc.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular culinary events and workshops throughout the week. For a full schedule of upcoming activities, tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Wind Down Wine Flight” 6 p.m. Thursdays. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have the wine bar open from 4-8 p.m. Fridays/Saturdays, with semi-regular wine tastings on the weekends. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host semi-regular tap-takeovers from local and regional breweries on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.
“Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available.
828.538.0420.
“Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. 800.872.4681 / gsmr.com.
‘Yonder Mountain Record Show’
Presented by Astro Record Store, the “Yonder Mountain Record Show” will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
This “laidback” vinyl record showcase will offer local/regional shops and independent dealers offering bins of albums to dig through and purchase, all alongside craft ales and live music. Food will also be available onsite.
Free and open to the public. For more information, visit yondermountainrecordshow.com.
Dig through record bins on Feb. 15 in Waynesville. Garret K. Woodward
photo
Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville. File photo
Blue Ridge Beer Hub. File photo
‘I wanna know what love is…’
“I wanna know what love is/ I want you to show me.”
T— Foreigner
here’s love and then there’s Love. In Glenn Aparicio Parry’s book “Original Love: A Timeless Source of Wholeness” (SelectBooks Inc., New York, 2026), he gives us the full monty of what this means, as if looking at the Earth from outer space through enlightened eyes. We’re not just talking about romantic love, here, but how the love energy is pervasive and proactive both here and beyond. We get a good idea as to what Parry has to tell us, to teach us, from simply reading the table of contents and the way he has organized and implemented his subject matter. In all of these chapters, Parry takes us from the present and what’s possible, into the future and what is already there and has been since the beginning of the beginning.
radically interconnected with all living things as part of one interspecies family. We have been here all along, connected with and coemerging with all creatures across time. This is why all other beings are our relations. This is the most important lesson we can learn.”
Parry writes from a quasi-Indigenous perspective about how the Feminine is essential and part of our distant past: “A black
cle,” he continues. “This is why Native Americans refer to the circle of life as a Sacred Hoop.”
All this, above, is the basic framework upon which Parry uses to give us the more prescient details of how and why everything both seen and unseen works. It’s a kind of spiritual science that he is evoking for us in order for us to expand our rational mind to a place of heartfelt cosmic-consciousness — which he believes is possible with a little discipline and determination at a time in human and planetary history when it is needed most. He discusses this in the context of The Industrial Revolution and today’s AI technologies and how these have led us down “treacherous paths.”
Parry spends a lot of time musing, almost biblically, about ancient and recent Indigenous peoples and how there was no distance between mankind and nature in a nature that included the cosmos as well as the earth. He discusses this paradigm in the context of what is “original” in relation to “time,” saying: “Original, meaning arising from source. If something is original, it is timeless, both old and new, and both place and time with Love being a foundational force of the cosmos.” As many Indigenous peoples knew, it is all about “transcending the rational mind and returning to leading from the heart,” he writes in the early pages of the book.
Then he adds a hint of what will come in later chapters: “Much of what we call Indigenous wisdom is also feminine wisdom,” which he says is now reemerging. But in the end, he says, “It’s all about Love. The key to being loving is to be present and listen. Love is ultimately a vibration. It has more to do with being than doing. Love is as deep as the ocean and as boundless as the stars.”
“In the deepest recesses of my heart,” he confesses, “there is a memory of how we humans came into existence and how we are
hole at the center of the Milky Way is the womb of our galaxy — spoken of in many Indigenous stories as the place we came from.” Here, Parry uses the name “Mother Earth” to emphasize the feminine nature of the planet we live on. “All living things are the children of Mother Earth,” he writes. The Indigenous peoples across the globe had many creation stories, with versions that often state that “all life begins in darkness and grows toward the light.” Parry returns to this idea time and time again with different metaphors for different peoples around the world. Equating love with light, he says that “love is a feeling of oneness with all there is.”
“All of creation is a vast interdependent cir-
City Lights presents ‘The Accident Report’
As we turn the final pages of “Original Love,” Parry leaves us with a kind of warning, stating: “The entire enterprise [of the accumulation of knowledge] is mistakenly called progress when it is only distance from the origin, distance from Love.”
This is preceded by many telling quotes in the book by influential thinkers and writers such as Plato, William Blake, Meher Baba and Joseph Campbell, including poem fragments by advanced spiritual beings such as 13th century poet Rumi, who reminds us of who and where we are.
In the end, what we have here is not purely academic science, not philosophy, not religious spirituality, but a history of one man’s visionary pursuit of the Truth based on a lifetime of questioning, studying and listening to answers given to him by sources of higher knowing. Sources that have many names that he elucidates in this text but which are all names for the same Reality (that some might refer to as God) which proposes that everything is interconnected and which, when functioning well, operates as One.
(Thomas Rain Crowe, is the author of more than 30 books, including the multi-award winning nonfiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods” and translations of the 15th century Sufi poet Kabir in “Painting From the Palette of Love.”)
Ralph Ellis will discuss his new novel, "The Accident Report," in conversation with Susan Puckett at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Set in the summer of 1974, the novel follows rookie reporter Ronald Truluck, stuck covering petty crimes in a North Carolina textile town until he uncovers a possible police cover-up involving a drunken city councilman. Determined to break “Lamontgate,” Truluck — an unlikely hero with a shaky newsroom and eccentric sources — chases the story with help from his girlfriend and a fellow reporter, leading to unexpected consequences. Ellis, a Waynesville native, began his journalism career in the late 1960s and worked as a reporter and editor in North Carolina and South Carolina newspapers. Puckett is a James Beard–nominated food journalist and editor, former longtime food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and author or collaborator on more than a dozen books. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.586.9499 or visit citylightsnc.com.
Writer
Thomas Crowe
State hustles to fill trout-stocking gaps following Helene
BY KYLE PERROTTI
N EWS E DITOR
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is providing updates on measures to maximize trout stream stocking in the western part of the state after Hurricane Helene destroyed the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in September 2024.
The aging Setzer hatchery, which supplied most of the trout to NCWRC’s trout stocking program, had already been slated for renovations ahead of the storm, but that plan was dashed in a day when Helene dropped devastating rains across the region, including in Transylvania County where the hatchery is located.
“That was our major production facility,” Mountain Region Fishery Supervisor Doug Bessler told The Smoky Mountain News last month.
Demolition at the Setzer hatchery is scheduled to begin within the next couple of weeks. The wildlife commission claims that once the renovation is completed, the hatchery will feature state-of-the-art raceway systems that will make it more efficient and storm-resilient. It is estimated that it will be fully operational in 2028. The Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in McDowell County was also heavily damaged in the storm but has since returned to operation.
Still, with Setzer rendered useless as it undergoes its $50 million renovation, it was
clear as soon as Helene’s deluge finally stopped that trout stocking would take a hit for years to come, leaving the public and private sectors both scrambling to mitigate longterm harm to that vital sector of the region’s tourism economy.
NCWRC’s Public Mountain Trout Water Program stocks around 1 million trout annually. Trout fishing has been a draw in Western North Carolina for decades, but it boomed in the early 2020s on the tail end of pandemic shutdowns, when Americans sought out both more domestic vacation destinations and those that offer outdoor recreation opportunities. As reported by SMN in December 2023, a report released by the N.C. Wildlife Commission put the economic impact in the state’s western 26 counties at $1.38 billion, a 360% percent surge since the 2015 report. In that story, outfitters noted that they were pleasantly surprised by the boom in the industry on the heels of COVID shutdowns.
To mitigate the reductions in the state’s capacity to stock streams, the Wildlife Resources Commission is purchasing trout from private sector hatcheries willing to part with some of their stock that typically goes to local stores and restaurants. As of now, the commission has agreed to purchase trout from five producers in North Carolina and one in West Virginia.
The commission also purchased the Glady Fork Fish Hatchery in Transylvania County last fall, which can mitigate stocking reduc-
has been compressed to allow the bulk of trout to be stocked during the heart of the trout stocking season in spring (hatchery supported and delayed harvest) and fall (delayed harvest).”
Meanwhile, Besler said that the wildlife commission is still seeking out more private sector suppliers from which the state can pur-
Visit ncwildlife.gov/setzer to follow the progress on renovations and learn more about the projects.
chase additional stock, as well as other private hatchery owners who may be looking to sell their facilities. Working on that issue is David Deaton, NCWRC’s inland fisheries hatchery production supervisor.
The Glady Fork hatchery will also be used in the future, even once Setzer is fully operational. The long-term plan is to use Glady Fork to hold brook and brown trout brood stock.
“These facilities can produce trout to fill raceways, but they will also give a jumpstart when Setzer gets close to finished, so we’ll have fingerlings,” Deaton said.
Glady Fork will also provide another layer of redundancy should one or more facilities have to unexpectedly close for any period in the future.
tions while renovations progress. The commission considered whether to buy or rent such facilities, ultimately determining that purchasing a facility is better in the long run.
All remaining fish from the Setzer and Armstrong hatcheries have already been
As far as stocking goes, the strategy for now is to alter the stocking schedule so that there are fewer stockings, but those stockings can be robust enough to give people the experience they’ve come to expect. Basically, the theory is that it’s better to stock a stream once per month with a larger amount of trout than to spread it out and stock at a lower rate twice per month, Besler said, adding that there will
those fish at this time.
“In addition, NCWRC has altered stocking frequency,” the wildlife commission said in a press release. “The stocking season
instead of lower-traffic fringe periods.
“We want the experience to be the best they can make it even with reduced numbers,” Besler said.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission stocks local streams, drawing anglers the region and generating over $1 billion in annual revenue regionally. File photo
Trout hatchery raceways use a continuous flow of water to maintain oxygen levels, remove waste and make feeding more efficient. The raceways in the regions largest trout hatchery were severely damaged during Hurricane Helene in 2024. File photo
Conference comes to Asheville
The 23rd annual Business of Farming Conference, presented by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28, at A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville. The conference offers beginning and established farmers financial, legal, operational and marketing tools to improve farm businesses and make professional connections.
This past year was a tough one for farms in the region as they continue to recover from Helene damage, adjust for market impacts and shift financial strategies. A full list of workshops is available at asapconnections.org/conference.
The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting, in which farmers meet with chefs, grocers, wholesalers and other buyers to discuss products and potential business relationships, will be held at lunchtime. Other networking opportunities include an exhibitor
Haywood hosts ‘Learn to Grow’ classes
People interested in learning how to start plants from seeds can do so through a class offered at the N.C. Cooperative Extension of Haywood County.
Participants will learn how to select seeds, increase germination rates, create the proper environment for growing and timing for starting seeds and moving plants into a garden. Techniques are applicable to annual and perennial flowers, and spring and fall vegetables.
Raccoon Creek Bike Park nears completion
The Raccoon Creek Bike Park remains closed to the public as construction continues on the site, which is still an active work zone. Haywood County officials appreciate the community’s patience as work moves forward on the project and is anticipated to open in Summer 2026.
Once complete, the Raccoon Creek Bike Park will be a family-friendly outdoor amenity designed to serve riders of all ages and skill levels. The park will provide a safe and welcoming space for recreation, skill development and community programming.
hall and one-on-one sessions on food safety, tax and legal topics. Embedded within the conference is the Farmers Market Summit, a chance for farmers market managers from across the region to come together for peersharing, technical assistance and annual planning.
New this year, a pre-conference event facilitated by N.C. Cooperative Extension in partnership with ASAP will focus on small farm production. This event, Rooted in Research, will take place Feb. 27, from 1-6 p.m., also at A-B Tech. Discounts are available for registering for both events.
Registration is now open at asapconnections.org/conference. The cost is $95, with a discount for farm partners registering together. Scholarships are available for limited-resource farmers. The registration price includes a locally sourced breakfast and lunch.
“All Learn to Grow” classes will be held at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Haywood County Center, located at 589 Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Pre-registration is required, and classes cost $10. You 1916994304569?aff=oddtdtcreator.
County will offer youth programming at the park, including opportunities for children to learn how to ride safely using a county-owned fleet of bicycles. These programs will focus on bike safety, confidence-building, and healthy outdoor activity.
Although construction activity may pause at times due to weather-related delays, work on the pavilion and other park features is ongoing. For public safety, community members are asked to stay clear of the site until
Planned features include a bike pump track and skills course, a playground, a pavilion with picnic tables, restrooms, drinking fountains and a walking track — creating a multi-use destination for both riders and non-riders.
In addition to open recreation, Haywood
construction is complete and the park officially opens.
Additional details, including an official opening date and programming information, will be shared as the project nears completion.
Raccoon Creek Bike Park rendering.
641
828-456-HAUS (4287) 641
The Joyful Botanist
BY ADAM B IGELOW
Rooting for you
When you see a plant growing, flowering and fruiting in a garden, field, forest or pot you’re only seeing a part and not the whole. Much of the plant exists below the ground in the soil in the form of roots. It’s common to think that half of the plant is aboveground — stems, flowers and leaves — and half is below the ground in the roots, but this is not true across the board.
Many giant trees, including the tallest and largest in the world like the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and the giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
grow underground or at the soil’s surface and may look like roots, but botanically speaking, these parts are actually modified stems that have been adapted to serve rootlike roles.
So, what exactly is a root then?
In botany, roots are defined as a part of a plant that is normally underground (but not always) and is primarily used to anchor the plant in the soil, take up and distribute water and nutrients and hold reserve energy, as previously stated. Roots differ from stems by lacking leaf scars and buds and having branches that emerge from internal tissue and not from buds like stems do. And plant roots help hold soil together and keep it from eroding.
have shallow roots and are as much as 70% above-ground. While some prairie wildflowers like the cylindrical blazing star (Liatris cylindrica) only grow to a height of two feet at most, they can have roots that penetrate 15 feet into the soil and comprise 80% of the plant’s mass.
Roots are powerful parts of a plant and do more than just hold it up in the soil. Plant roots store solar energy that a plant’s aboveground parts have converted to sugar and carbohydrates through photosynthesis. Plants “eat” sunlight and convert that energy into a form it can transport and use for many of its biological processes. The main place the plant stores this energy is in the root. We consume this stored energy when we eat roots like carrots (Daucus carota ssp. sativus), beets (Beta vulgaris), radishes (Raphanus sativus), parsnips (Pastinaca sativa), sweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas) and yams (Dioscorea spp.).
You may wonder why I didn’t list potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), onions (Allium cepa), ginger (Zingiber officinale) or garlic (Allium sativum). These plant parts may
There are many different types of roots. Carrots, dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) have what is called a taproot. The taproot is a main, central root that primarily grows straight down and often has lateral roots branching off. Taprooted plants are usually anchored deeply in the soil and are difficult to remove.
There are fibrous roots, made up of multiple dispersed roots that form a matrix or web in the soil and are spread out from the plant’s center. Fibrous roots are great at scavenging for water and nutrients and are often connected at their tips to fungal strings or mycellium which help expand the roots’ reach and ability to collect water and nutrients. The fungi do this in exchange for some of the extra sugars and carbohydrates the root is holding. Grasses and many herbaceous wildflowers have fibrous root systems.
Another type of root structure is not found under the ground but growing on the aerial or aboveground parts of the plant. These are called adventitious roots, and they serve multiple functions. Adventitious roots can remain dormant until the plant breaks and falls to the ground or is covered by soil. Then, they break dormancy and begin to grow, effectively creating a clone of the parent plant. This advantage of adventitious root systems is why you’ll find these on many plants that grow along creeks and riverbanks.
No matter how you are spending this long and cold winter, know that out there beneath the snow and just under the soil surface, roots are growing. Plants are rooting for themselves and rooting for their future. Maybe the plants are rooting for you, too. I know I am.
(The Joyful Botanist leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)
Bigelow photo
Johnson City historic site hosts Maple Syrup Festival
The Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site in Johnson City, Tennessee will host its 23rd Annual Maple Syrup Festival and pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Come out to Tipton-Haynes to discover the history, lore and method of making maple syrup. See how the sap is extracted from the maple trees located throughout the grounds of the site and then watch as the sap is boiled down over a wood fired furnace until it becomes the rich, flavorful maple syrup.
From 8-11 a.m., a pancake breakfast with syrup from the Maple Grove Farm of Afton, Tennessee, will allow visitors to enjoy the deliciousness of nature. Accompanying the pancakes will be bacon, sausage, grits and more. Juice, coffee, water and milk will also be available.
Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under (children 3 and under are free) while admission with breakfast is $10 for adults and $5 for children. As always, Tipton-Haynes members are free. Donations are welcomed and will help the site continue its mission and values.
Genuine maple syrup from Maple Grove Farm will also be for sale.
For additional information, please call
Specialty crop block grants open
To view grant guidelines and the application, go to ncspecialtycrops.com/apply. For questions, contact Jenni Keith at 919.707.3158 or at jenni.keith@ncagr.gov.
haynes.org.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant proposal applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. Nonprofits, commodity associations, state and local government agencies, colleges and universities wishing to apply have until March 10.
A list of eligible crops can be found at hams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/specialty-crop.
“We are fortunate in North Carolina that our farmers can grow just about any crop, which means specialty crops are a significant part of North Carolina’s $100 billion farm economy and one that we want to continue to see grow,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We are looking for strong proposals that focus on boosting specialty crop production.”
The department will accept grant requests of up to $200,000 from the eligible groups listed above. Grants are not available for projects that directly benefit or provide a profit a single organization, institution or individual. Applicants can submit a draft application by Wednesday, Jan. 28, for review and feedback. Reviews offer no guarantee of funding and may be limited due to time and the number of requests.
Grants available for agricultural projects
The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is requesting applications from qualifying organizations that support the agricultural industry, impact rural communities and stimulate economic development. Online applications are due March 6. Funds will be awarded in the fall of 2026 for selected projects.
The NCTTFC was established in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to assist members of the tobacco community, including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses. Its original funding was provided through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the master settlement agreement. Funding is now appropriated through the state budget to the NCTTFC, which reviews, selects and disburses funds to grant projects.
Past NCTTFC projects include farmers market improvements, cost-share grant programs for farmers, commodity marketing, research into alternative crops and support for agricultural education programs. The 2026 grant application and additional information, including a list of past grants, is available at tobaccotrustfund.org.
Visitors of the Maple Syrup Festival will have a chance to see how the beloved product is made. Donated photo
Market PLACE WNC
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance
Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE
HAYWOOD COUNTY DISTRICT COURT
DIVISION
FILE NO. 25JT000075430
IN RE:PRESNELL, A minor child
JOSIE L. PRESNELL, Petitioner,
v. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
CALEB M. HOLLAND Respondent,
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against
above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:
Petition to Terminate Parental Rights
You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than 26 th day of March, 2026 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.
This 20 day of January, 2026
NIELSEN LAW, PLLC
Joshua D. Nielsen
Attorney for Petitioner 413 Walnut St Waynesville, NC 28786 (828) 246-9360 (828) 229-7255 facsimile
Publication Dates: January 28, February 4, February 11, 2026
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE
HAYWOOD COUNTY DISTRICT COURT
DIVISION
FILE NO. 25JT000074430
IN RE: HOLLAND, A minor child
JOSIE L. PRESNELL, Petitioner,
v. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
CALEB M. HOLLAND Respondent,
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against
above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:
Petition to Terminate Parental Rights
You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than 26th day of March, 2026 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.
This 20 day of January, 2026
NIELSEN LAW, PLLC
Joshua D. Nielsen
Attorney for Petitioner 413 Walnut St Waynesville, NC 28786 (828) 246-9360 (828) 229-7255 facsimile
Publication Dates: January 28, February 4, February 11, 2026
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF JACKSON File No: 25SP000584-490
NOTICE OF SALE
TAKE NOTICE THAT:
William Richard Boyd, Jr., Substitute Trustee, has begun proceedings to FORECLOSE under the Deed of Trust described below, and under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in such Deed of Trust, and an Order entered by the Clerk of Superior Court of the above County, will sell the below described property at public auction as follows:
1. The instrument pursuant to which such sale will be held is that certain Deed of Trust executed by Wolf Lake Development LLC, original mort-
Juan Fernandez (“Noteholder”) and recorded in County Register of Deeds in Deed of Trust Book 2311, at Page 1160 (the “Deed of Trust”). The record owner of such prop-
records of the Register of Deeds not more than ten (10) days prior to posting this Notice of Sale, if not the original mortgagors, is: N/A
2. The property will be sold by the Substitute Trustee at 11:00 a.m. on February 5, 2026 at the Jackson County Courthouse door in the City of Sylva, North Carolina.
3. The real property to be sold is generally described as 117.17 ac +/Tannassee Creek Road and .431 +/- ac Vess Owens Road, Tuckasee-
gee, NC* and is more particularly described as follows (the “Property”): Being all of that property described in that certain Deed of Trust recorded in Book 2311 , at Page 1160 of the Jackson County, North Carolina Registry. Any Property described in the Deed of Trust which is not being offered for sale is described as follows: Subject to any and all Release Deeds of Record in the Jackson County, North Carolina Registry. *The general description of the Property is provided for convenience but is not guaranteed; the legal description in the Deed of Trust controls.
4. Any buildings located on the above-described Property are also included in the sale.
5. The Property will be sold by the Substitute Trustee to the highest bidder for CASH . The highest bidder will be required to deposit IN CASH with the Substitute Trustee at the date and time of the sale the
(5.0%) of the amount of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty and no/100 Dollars ($750.00).
6. The Property is being sold “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Substitute Trustee, Noteholder, nor attorneys, employees, or authorized agents or representatives of either Substitute Trustee or Noteholder make any warranty relating to title, possession, quiet enjoyment, or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the Property and any
and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way related to such conditions are expressly disclaimed. The Noteholder has reserved the right to withdraw the sale up to and until the deed is delivered by the Substitute Trustee.
7. The Property will be sold subject to all unpaid taxes and special assessments.
8. The Property being sold is all of that Property described in the Deed of -
ly set forth above. It is the intention to extinguish any and all rights or interests in the Property subordinate to the Deed of Trust.
9. An order for possession of the Property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the County in which the Property is sold.
10. Additional Notice Where the Property is Residential with Less Than 15 Rental Units, including single-family residential real property: Any person who occupies the Property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the Notice of Sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
11. Pursuant to North Carolina General Statues Section 45-21.8, the sale of the Property may be made by whole or by tract in the discretion of the Substitute Trustee. Further, the Substitute Trustee may offer for sale any and all personal property as permitted by the Deed of Trust in
accordance with North Carolina General Statutes Sections 25-9-604, 25-9-610, and 25-9-611, in whole, as individual items, or together with the Property as the Substitute Trustee determines is appropriate in the Substitute Trustee’s sole discretion. This notice is intended to comply with the requirements of North Carolina General Statutes Sections 25-9-607 and 25-9-613 providing for the disposition of personal property in connection with a foreclosure of real property. Mortgagor is entitled to and may request an accounting of the unpaid indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust.
12. Any successful bidder shall be required to tender the remaining balance of the successful bid amount in cash or the Substitute Trustee tenders to such bidder, or attempts to deliver to such bidder, a deed for the Property. Should such successful bidder fail to pay the full balance of the successful bid at that time, that bidder shall remain liable on the bid as provided by North Carolina General Statutes Section 45-21.30.
13. The purchaser of the Property shall pay the Clerk’s Commissions in the amount of $0.45 per $100.00 of the purchase price (up to a maximum of $500.00), required by Section 7A-308(a) (1) of the North Carolina General Statutes. If the purchaser of the Property is someone other than the Deed of Trust, the purchaser shall also pay, to the extent applicable, the land transfer tax in the amount of one percent (1.0%) of the purchase price.
14. If the Substitute Trustee is unable to convey title to the Property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are of a bankruptcy petition of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the
Substitute Trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the Substitute Trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.
15. The Property is being sold subject to all prior and superior: (i) deeds of trust, (ii) liens, (iii) unpaid taxes, (iv) restrictions, (v) easements, (vi) assessments, (vii) leases, and (viii) other matters, if any, which, as a matter of law, survive the foreclosure of the Deed of Trust, provided that the inclusion of this clause in this Notice of Substitute Trustee’s Sale of Real Estate shall not be deemed to validate or otherwise effect to any such matter or other right which, as a matter of law, does not survive the foreclosure of the Deed of Trust.
16. Any person who occupies the Property puror tenancy may have additional rights pursuant to the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act.
17. This is a communication from a debt collector. The purpose of this communication is to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection. If you are under the protection of the Bankruptcy Court or have been discharged as a result of bankruptcy proceedings, this notice if given to you pursuant to statutory requirement and for informational purposes and is not intended as an attempt to collect a debt or as an act to collect, assess, or recover all or any portion of the debt from you personally. THIS the 3rd day of December, 2025.
William Richard Boyd, Jr.
Substitute Trustee
474 Mountain Cove Road Waynesville, NC 28786
828-646-7308
Dates: January 28, 2026 and February 4, 2026
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26e000003-490
John Leopard, having -
istrator of the Estate of Tina Anne Leopard of Jackson County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Apr 14 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Administrator c/o John Leopard 705 W Main Street Sylva, NC 28779
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.25E000725-430
GRADY MICHAEL GED-
as the RECEIVE AND ADMINISTER ASSETS OF ESTATE of the Estate of GWENDOLYN FAYE GEDDINGS NASH of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Apr 14 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
RECEIVE AND ADMINISTER ASSETS OF ESTATE
3027 HIGHWAY 545 CONWAY, SC 29526
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.25E000261-430
Jay Miller, having qual-
the Estate of Gwendolyn Kay Miller of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before May 04 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Executor 14199 E Axle Drive Vail AZ 85641
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26E000002-490
Hannah C. Artman,
Ancillary Administrator of the Estate of Sanford Preston Artman of Jackson County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Apr 14 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Ancillary Administrator c/o Hannah C. Artman 705 W Main Street Sylva, NC 28779
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26E000003-430 Joseph Riccardi, having of the Estate of Thresia Moody of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Apr 14 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Executor Joseph Riccardi
ANSWERS ON PAGE 34
7410 Autumn Bent Way Crestwood, KY 40014
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE – UPDATED ANNUAL PHA PLAN
Mountain Projects, Inc. – NC152
Annual Plan
Fiscal Year 07/2026
Mountain Projects, Inc. hereby announces the availability of its proposed 2026 Public Housing Agency (PHA) Annual Plan for public review and comment. This plan outlines our goals and strategies for addressing housing needs in our community.
DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY:
The proposed plan and related materials can be reviewed at the following locations:
Mountain Projects, Inc. 2177 Asheville Road Waynesville, NC 28786 And on the Mountain Projects, Inc. Website www.mountainprojects. org
PUBLIC HEARING DETAILS:
Mountain Projects, Inc. in-
SUDOKU
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
vites all interested parties to attend a public hearing to provide feedback on the proposed plan.
This hearing is an opportunity for the community to share thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Public input is a vital part of our planning process. For more information, please contact Mountain Projects, Inc. at (828) 452-1447 or visit our website at www.mountainprojects.org.
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